The Nabooian Noble and the Pilotman Part I
by JustDerkT
Summary: Padme is born into an independent Force User group on Naboo, and Anakin is born from a midi-chlorian experiment by Darth Plagueis and Palpatine. Will the two Chosen Ones of the Force restore balance in the Force and save the Galaxy from the Sith? (I do not own Star Wars, Disney currently owns it.) On hiatus.
1. Arrival of the Chosen Ones

_Gallo Mountain Region, Naboo: A small mountain village_

"It's a girl." said Ruwee Naberrie with watery eyes.

Ruwee carefully held his second daughter with gentle care as if she was a ceramic figurine, seeing a pair of brown eyes illuminated by the moonlight through the window. The three moons in the outside sky shone alongside an ocean of stars illuminating their humble village. To the new parents, she was their little angel filled with potential. The Naberries envisioned their daughter growing up as a strong and just leader of the Naboo nation while bringing peace, something that both earlier and current generations failed to accomplish. Within the escalating turmoil of Naboo, King Ars Veruna was rumored to be dealing plasma exchanges with the Trade Federation and crime groups, and some dissidents were arrested. She might be the one to restore peace and prosperity to Naboo, and possibly the galaxy. After welcoming their newborn into the realm of the living, Ruwee carefully handed over Jobal their daughter. Jobal held the newborn tenderly in her arms with moist eyes, blurring her view of her daughter.

"What should we name her?" asked Ruwee.

"I think… Padmé should be her name," answered Jobal. Then the medical droid interrupted their precious moment with their new child, since droids did not understand human relations well.

"Excuse me, Madam Naberrie. I recommend that you should allow a post-birth blood analysis to ensure that your child is healthy," said the medical droid.

"Proceed, D-148. I just hope that my child is alright," commented Jobal, watching the droid make a tiny prick with a tiny syringe on Padmé's thumb.

Quickly, the droid applied a bandage over the puncture left behind. As Jobal and Ruwee waited for the blood test diagnosis, their joy wavered. They grew anxious while the droid analyzed the blood sample under the scanning equipment. If their daughter were too powerful in the Force, they could fail to shield the Force aura of Padmé from notice. Fearful thoughts materialized in their minds too: would their child be born disabled? Born blind? After what seemed to the Naberries like a galactic standard year, the droid turned to face Ruwee and Jobal. Its next few words would convey surprising news about the newborn.

"Your child appears to be biologically normal, with no disabilities or other genetic defects. Additionally, I should notify you that your daughter has a midi-chlorian count of approximately nine-thousand and three-hundred, thus she is Force-sensitive," reported D-148 while holding a datapad towards Ruwee and Jobal.

Instantly, the possibility of their second child being discovered by the Jedi Order ignited unease within Ruwee and Jobal. They glanced at each other with hesitation since Sola, their elder daughter, was already strengthening in the Force. Additionally, a distant Sith heritage from the time of the New Sith Wars worsened the situation despite their sparse Force usage, since the Jedi loathed the Sith. If their ancestral roots were discovered, they would be pursued by the Jedi, a looming disaster over the Naberrie bloodline. A brief moment of eye contact between them conveyed that they must conceal all traces of their Force-powers to the outside world. Jobal told D-148 to omit the midi-chlorian count from the fresh blood diagnostic.

"We can't hide this reality from our daughter indefinitely. I feel that the truth will reveal itself, and eventually we will have to be honest with her," Ruwee protested.

"I understand honey, but I want our daughter to have a peaceful, happy childhood. If our daughters are discovered by any Jedi or Sith, we may never see them again. Also, she could possibly be killed!" Jobal commented while reviewing the datapad. Ruwee sighed, and sat on a wooden stool beside Jobal.

"I also have that in mind, dear, but how would our younger daughter remain happy if she finds out we have been lying about her identity through her childhood?" Ruwee asked. Jobal remained silent, cradling Padmé in her arms.

"The Force runs in our blood, so it can't be helped. It is neither good or evil, but whether the usage is acceptable really depends on the wielder's decisions. Perhaps we could train her in reaching into the Force and teach her some combat," he added.

The medical droid bowed and departed from the house, which silently slid open. Jobal put her hand on Padmé's forehead while sending a wave of calmness to soothe Padmé to sleep, and then gently tucked the infant in the crib. Jobal noticed that her younger daughter was strong-willed, leading to the longer amount of time to soother her to sleep. Even though their child was safe at present, the couple faced the task of concealing all hints of Force-sensitivity from Jedi recruiters. Soon, Jobal went to the fresher to change into her nightgown, and emerged a a few minutes later to bed. After the exhausting ordeal of childbirth and news of an additional Force-sensitive child, Jobal felt ready to sleep.

"Don't be afraid, honey. We will figure out the best course for us, we Naberries hardly back down from the rancor of life, especially a couple of Force-sensitive babies to raise." Ruwee said as he greeted his wife with a firm hug, warming her soul with his love.

"You too, Ru," chuckled Jobal.

"Just as lovely and compassionate as I saw you ten years ago. Force, I'm blessed to have you by my side," Ruwee said. Jobal answered with a kiss on his cheek just before sliding under the covers next to the crib.

"Goodnight dear, I need to check on Paddy, " said Jobal.

"Paddy? Sounds like slang for home decor, " commented Ruwee.

"What if we nickname our second daughter Paddy? It would sound awkward for formal occasions, especially when she is older. I can't imagine calling Padmé, if she were queen, 'Paddy'."

"Well Ru, our daughter doesn't look like she's over the single digits, right? She is so tiny." Jobal said.

"But-"

"No buts. Its quite unfitting for a Nabooian nobleman and Grand Elder like you, " Jobal teased with a smile.

"Fine, goodnight dear," Ruwee said. "She did not just imply that I am fattening around my behind," he thought.

" _I heard that Ru..._ " his wife messaged through their mind link.

Ruwee laid in bed with Jobal under the covers in the moonlit night, with the chirps of insects leaking through the screen window. He closed his eyes and tried to relax, yet sleep eluded him, as the Force sensitivity of Padmé was a challenge to keep hidden. Ruwee once again recalled that the non-force-sensitive public was not fond of Force users after the Naboo-Gungan War.

Unable to find rest, Ruwee got out of bed and silently paced out the serene bedroom and through the main hall towards a rusted door. His steps echoed through the empty hall, and his shoes glistened in the moonlight. Opening the door, Ruwee stepped into the speeder garage, where a light flickered on to illuminate the room in a pale blue light. Tall durasteel shelves glistened with numerous mechanical pieces, and a small wooden chest bearing the House Naberrie crest rested in the back. Its contents should have been destroyed by Ruwee to avoid outside suspicion.

Instead, Ruwee knelt at the chest and placed his hands on the enchanted lock. He let go of his unease and extended his will into the Force. After a moment, it appeared as colorful strands of light flowing like a roaring river through the environment: the room, the house, the sleeping shaaks outside, and beyond. The Force was the weaving fabric of all life in the galaxy: a mysterious, extremely potent cosmic energy field. He felt an energetic sensation run through his body as the energy loosened the lock, which glowed turquoise and opened with a click.

Ruwee wistfully looked inside the aged wooden container. Inside the chest were four lightsabers on top of a royal purple cushion, which appeared as chrome, concave cylinders with a ornate, bronze-electroplated blade guard. On their hilt bottoms were engravings of the royal Naboo flower symbol. These two-hundred year-old lightsabers laid as relics of earlier Naberries who were esteemed warriors in contrast to passive politicians.

Ruwee sat with a pensive expression when activating one of the lightsabers in his grasp. The magenta blade hummed in front of his face, awaiting to fulfill its duty for almost one hundred standard years. Many bitter memories sprang up from knowledge passed down through generations. Known as The Blade of Naboo, a discontinued and secret Royal Defense Branch comprising of Force users, the Noble houses helped defeat an entire Gungan army during the Naboo-Gungan War and quelled a insurrection against the monarch. Those glorious days passed by multiple generations ago, since all nobles were forced out of commission regardless of their service. Specifically, they were shunned by many who hated the carnage of the Naboo-Gungan conflict, which resulted from the losses of many civilian lives. The Naberries and other noble Houses felt betrayed by their nation, as if their service meant nothing. Nevertheless, the noble houses had to adapt; they could still serve their people as politicians but their legacy forgotten. Ironically, their hidden past ensured that the Jedi or Sith would suspect little of their Force sensitivities.

After his brief time of reflection, Ruwee deactivated the lightsaber and returned it to its resting place. With a sigh, he thought back to the earlier conversation with his wife about hiding the Force sensitivity of both daughters, considering the consequences of what he was planning about training them. Would his peers or friends approve? Certainly the Force should be taught with emphasis on responsibility for its usage, so their children would avoid abusing their Force abilities. Under burden of those issues concerning his family, Ruwee decided to have the chest kept at Varykino to avoid suspicion from Jedi or Sith, and later mentor his daughters about the Force whenever possible. He promised himself that he would protect his family (especially if they occasional teased him) and liberate Naboo from the tyranny of Veruna.

Dune Sea Sector, Tatooine: Mos Espa

Looking down with anticipation upon the remote desert planet Tatooine was a gray, featureless humanoid figure wearing a Je'daii tunic emitting a faint blue aura.

"The sides of the Forcefuls, Jedi and Sith, have become greatly skewed from the balance of The Way and have become corrupt in their narrow paradigms. The Sith have gone too far in their manipulation of sentient life. Balance must once again be restored with my Chosen Ones, the old must die, and the new reborn," the avatar of the Force mused. The avatar then gazed upon a young slave woman giving birth to the Chosen One of the Force, who would fix the imbalance in the Galaxy and bring peace.

Shmi Skywalker was unsure of how she had conceived a child without a mate, but the infant in her arms was now her responsibility. The new mother promised herself to raise her newborn son with all the love and care he deserved, despite living as a slave woman under Gardulla the Hutt. And so, a young blonde boy strong in the Force was officially welcomed into the galaxy, as the Tatooine moons shone in half-phase directly above the sandstone compound.

"Anakin… His name will be Anakin Skywalker," Shmi said to the medical droid.

Lake Country, Naboo: Palpatine Estate

Among the sounds of distant grazing shaak and chirps of birds in the trees, two cloaked figures, a middle aged-human and Muun, strolled with fluid, mechanical steps. The two figures resembled dark wraiths of chaos, as they were the only two Sith of the Sith Order; the Rule of Two by Darth Bane ensured that just as for the few hundred master-apprentice pairs since the Seventh Battle of Ruusan. Unlike the multitude of Sith allowed to claim membership within the Brotherhood of Darkness Rule, two Sith were easily concealed within populated planets like Naboo, and continuously renewed dynasties through the apprentice eliminating the master. In some aspects, the Rule of Two resembled the cycle of life: the death of the old for the emergence of the new.

"Everything is going to plan my apprentice… the experiment has succeeded. A life, the ultimate Forceful, has been created through midi-chlorian manipulation unlike before: the Vergence of Boga has been birthed," the Muun solemnly said with a faint smile, oblivious of the rebellion of the Force against the Sith.

"Much acknowledged, Master Plagueis, perhaps we can use him to further the rule of the Sith Order over the entire galaxy," the human chuckled.

"Patience is key, my apprentice. Soon we shall avenge our ancient fallen, and we will tip the system and the weak-minded of the Galaxy in our favor. The pathetic Republic is growing unstable, then we shall take the opportunity to slowly entrench ourselves in the government, and then the Sith will rule the galaxy again." Darth Plagueis responded, as razor-sharp anger seethed underneath his serene tone.

"A grand plan, Master. We should also keep an eye on the Jedi scum and our creation, as he must fall to the dark side to suit our machinations..." Sith apprentice Cosinga Palpatine said.

"In addition, the boy must be allowed to develop to an optimal age or vigor… Speaking of vigor, a meal at the planetary capital would be… empowering," Plagueis added.

Soon the two Sith paced back out the labyrinth of red and pink flowers nestled in hedges, toward a dark-brown XJ6 speeder.


	2. Mentorship

**A.N: This chapter was actually partially written before porting to FF, thus why it got uploaded so quickly. Just to let you know, the next chapter is also partially written already, so it might come quickly too.**

 _10 Years Later: Lake County, Naboo_

The Naboo sun rose above the lush, forested hills, and reflected off the calm waters of the lakes. Birds flew in the atmosphere, and fauna roamed in the underlying foliage. Wherever life appeared, the Force emanated from it and maintained it like stitches binding the galaxy together. In the serene scene, a bronze-plated H-type Nubian yacht descended towards a small landing pad beside a lavish stone house overlooking a lake. With gentle maneuvers, the yacht settled onto on the landing pad, and the landing hatch lowered to form a boarding ramp.

The Naberrie couple exited their yacht while three brunette girls followed close behind. The yacht hatch soon automatically closed with a click. Sola, the taller of the three girls, wore a ocean blue dress with her hair woven back in a bun. The other two were Padmé and her friend Sabé, who Padmé met during a visit by the Pelare House members. Although both closely resembled each other in physical appearance, they contrasted in personality. Sabé saw her friend as a reasonable, compassionate, yet overly idealistic person. Padmé saw her friend blaze with a natural rebellious and mischievous streak from her family; it was typical for Pelare House members. Even with the occasional Force pranks, Sabé clearly cared for her friends.

"The Lake Country is an significantly vibrant and scenic place to be in. That's why our ancestors chose this location for our estate: the diverse plant life and wildlife makes the Lake County very Force-attuned. So, this region of Naboo is excellent for training, meditation, and swimming," Ruwee said with a wink towards his younger daughter Padmé, who enjoyed swimming as a pastime.

The Naberries, alongside Sabé Pelare, continued along the cobblestone path towards the lake estate which sat silently along the shore as if waiting for its occupants to return. When they arrived at the gate of the tall duracrete wall surrounding the retreat grounds, an accented male voice answered the entrance comm.

"Identification?"

Ruwee put his hand on a identification scanner, which flashed green. Next, he placed the Naberrie family amulet onto a smaller scanner, which also flashed green. A hum sounded as the gate field disengaged.

"Welcome back Sir Naberrie, looks like you're the real deal." the revealed suited blonde man greeted.

"Sir Arias, it's great to see you again, friend," Ruwee said as he gave his friend and estate guard a hug.

Bestowed the "Shiro" Duty which was named after the armored Naboo creature, Arias took upon the role as the Naberrie House bodyguard with his niece Eirtaé next in line. Arias, or uncle Arias, found himself as the only candidate since his brother and sister-in-law died in a landing disaster six standard years earlier. As a result, his niece lived alone with him in Theed, and often kept silent unless she met close friends such as the Naberrie children during days like this one.

The Shiro Guard and friend-colleague led the Naberries into the stucco covered stone house, and led them into the foyer. The foyer and main hall were exquisitely decorated: multiple portraits of all prominent Naberries hung along the walls, and the floor was covered in sky-blue and purple carpeting. Holopics replayed each one of their prime achievements below each portrait. At the end of the hall, a newly placed portrait of an elderly woman with flowing curly gray hair hung. Ruwee and Jobal went with Arias toward the kitchen to prepare a meal for family and friends.

"We'll be preparing the morning delicacy, just call us if any of you have preferences," Arias said before leaving the Naberrie sisters and Sabé to their conversations.

Both Naberrie siblings and the Pelare heir recognized the painted picture as one of Elder Winama Naberrie, a prominent Holocron keeper in the Force-sensitive Nubian society, and Head of Text Keepers in the Circle of Elders. Alongside the portrait stood a tall, blond girl dressed in a flame orange dress with leather slippers.

"Eirtaé!" Padmé greeted while her sister and other friend Sabé waved hello towards Eirtaé before walking to the guest room to unpack their luggage.

"Hello Padmé." Eirtaé said.

"I'm glad to see you, and it's nice to see you passing last year without a scratch. Summer is going to be fantastic," Eirtaé added.

"I'm also happy to see you too Eirtaé. How have you been lately?" Padmé asked her friend.

"Alright, I've completed my first year at the Youth Legislative Program in Theed University, and I'm very interested to becoming Queen of Naboo later on, " said the fourteen year-old blonde.

"Nice to hear that, Eire."

"Besides that, not much..." Eirtaé said with a stiffer expression than before.

"...went on," she continued.

A quick reach into the Force bond to her friend indicated to Padmé that her friend remained somewhat sad and lonely over the loss of her parents, betraying the neutral expression on her pale face.

"Sorry about your par-"

"I feel it's better to not mention them at this moment, maybe later," Eirtaé said with an pained gaze with ice-blue irises.

"My bad. How about we enjoy some shurra fruit fusion smoothies before training? My mother brought them earlier today for all of us," Padmé hesitantly agreed, keeping in mind that her friend had tendencies of moodiness when faced with her departed parents, despite the yearning to console her friend.

"Alright, perhaps I need a smoothie now," Eirtaé said with slightly watery eyes.

Soon, Sabé soon returned from the guest bedroom after unpacking her belongings from her suitcase and saw Padmé putting her arm over Eirtaé, leading her towards the dining room. Meanwhile, Sola stood in front of the guest room mirror, untangling her hair, as her brown eyes staring back into dark pupils. Those brown eyes reminded Sola of her grand mother Ryoo, kind and understanding. She wondered what had caused the surge of anguish only a moment earlier, despite hearing nothing beyond the door to the guest room. The possibility of an argument among the close triple of friends was unlikely. Yet her intuition told her that Eirtaé remained troubled after her parents death despite the passage of six years. After taking a few minutes undoing her hair, Sola exited the room towards dining room where her parents were preparing the morning refreshments and snacks.

"Looks like you're ready for those smoothies Sola. We are almost ready with the meal, hope you enjoy it," Arias said.

"Thanks, Shiro Arias," Sola said, smelling the aroma of Nubian pastries.

The dining room's chair cushions was decorated with floral patterns of red, orange, and royal purple. Tapestries of the greatest "Kereires del Nubia" Society members hung from the walls, marble busts of Naboo poets rested at the corners, and the oval table of Endor wood was edged with silver. On the east side of the room, a transparent glass door faced the Varykino lake in all of its splendor. Sola gazed upon her friend Eirtaé comforted by Padmé about her deceased parents. Although Eirtaé initially refused to mention her parents, Padmé had managed to slowly drag her friend into a conversation about her parents. A cracked glass cup rested on the table surface next to them. Sola realized that emotions were a natural part of people, why would one abstain from them like the Jedi? On the other hand, why let them rage like a burst dam like the Sith permitted? Instead, the key was to feel and act moderately in the Force and other matters, and remain patient in understanding others, an ideal that fit the considerate personality of Sola.

"It took you an awfully long time to get here, Sola, you just missed the greatest story of her father's combat in the Naboo-Gungan Conflicts."

"Let's send those Motha' Gungas back to the swamps!" Eirtaé imitated in a gruff voice with a Southern Nubian accent.

The three girls giggled at the imitation of Sir Eiche Arias, the great-grandfather of Eirtaé. A moment later, Jobal placed plates of Nubian pastries alongside glasses of shurra smoothies on the table.

"Here they are, I just decided to use your grandmother Ryoo's recipe, Padmé always likes these with berry jam. Hope you all enjoy it," said Jobal.

"Thank you Miss Naberrie," Sabé said, and Eirtaé nodded in approval of the cooking skills of Jobal.

"Thanks, Mom," said Padmé.

The brunch passed with calmness and happiness, as the Naberries had some interesting tall tales about the wartime heroes that their ancestors made. One of them was the siege of the Deeja Peak temple of the Karieros de Nubia. Sabé listened with interest and Eirtaé gaped in awe.

"And he died saving his fellow Nubians, although his body was never found. I guess that it makes a happy ending for a recollection like this," Ruwee said.

"Yes, my husband would always rant about ideals of honor and discipline with these tales of our long history. He is a serious, strong-willed man and a great paladin," commented Jobal.

"Well I haven't seen action for a standard decade, since I teach politics and history nowadays. I might be rusty. Looks like it depends on how potent you think I am in combat and the Force now," said Ruwee with his hands at the back of his head while laying back in his chair.

"Still a great story, it's very inspiring," said Eirtaé, who then drank the remainder of her smoothie.

"Trust me, I hear those inspiring tales a lot, Dad enjoys telling them to anybody coming over, maybe a bit too much," said Padmé.

"I can't imagine that," said Eirtaé.

"Pad, let's not gossip about your father in front of guests, it's rude," said Jobal. Sola smirked at her sister, who simply looked away.

"Yes, Mom."

Soon afterwards, Ruwee Naberrie and Arias walked the girls out to commence their lightsaber training of their children and their friends. The cobblestone path twisted through hillsides and the caves in the mountains, but at least its underground parts were well lit with electronic lighting and marked with signs for directions. Jobal still remained in the retreat, her smooth, chromium lightsaber in a tight grip. A wisp of nervousness and fear floated around the retreat, triggering the Force empathy hunch that Jobal had. Suspicious, Jobal cautiously walked outside near the house entrance.

"Who the hell has any business trespassing on my family's grounds?" Jobal said in a stern voice, her lightsaber ready to confront the unknown presence.

A few moments passed, as Jobal studied the surroundings intently, her hard gaze of brown eyes as sharp as a targeting laser. She picked out a large bush cluster near the wall and slowly walked towards it. Immediately, the faint emotion that Jobal had earlier sensed just disappeared. The cloaked figure, hiding in the bushes along the duracrete wall managed to empty his thoughts in time. Jobal, on the other hand, was confused and reached into the Force, feeling nothing. With a puzzled look, Jobal sighed and walked back into the estate, where Sola waited for her mother.

"What happened Mother? I could feel your anxiety as you went outside, did something bad happen?" asked Sola.

"Not a problem, dear, I might have been a little jumpy from the sugary smoothies. Just focus on your meditations, Sola," said Jobal.

 _Outside the Naberrie Lake Estate_

"King Veruna, I have gathered the current report on the Naberries," a cloaked figure nervously whispered into a wrist comlink, as he hid in the foliage a few dozen meters farther outside the wall.

"Excellent work, Agent NABSA-6B. I have a special plan for those pesky few, especially the youngest one. They stir up a significant amount of dissenters, some of whom act quite violent. Now report back to the palace within four hours."

"But in order to carry out your plan, you must consider that they have abilities beyond the average Force insensitive human," the agent said.

"I have that in mind already, as I am Force sensitive too. Just deliver the information to me and forget about this close call, " King Veruna said, glimpsing into the mind of the agent from far away.

"Yes, Your Highness," the agent answered.

The agent slipped away from the estate grounds toward a Nubian stealth speeder, the chromium body marked with streamlined gray, red, and blue markings. Looking around the craft to ensure he wasn't followed, the agent entered the cockpit. NABSA-6B pressed a few buttons, as he heard the engine start up with a low bass hum.

Soon after, the agent departed in his speeder at nearly full speed, paying little attention to the beautiful landscape below, paying attention to only the orders of the King of Naboo.

 _The Naberrie Lake Retreat Meadow: Training Platforms_

The bright green meadow was surrounded by a river in a "n" shape, which was fed by multiple streams on a weathered ridge. This formed the meadow into a peninsula. Upon the peninsula sat two middle aged men, one blond and one dark-haired. In front of the men sat three students who meditated, sparred and practiced other unique Force abilities they inherited.

Ruwee faintly smiled as he observed his daughter spar with her closest friend Sabé with the precise, fluid sweeps, stabs, and parries of the Makashi form. Sabé and Padmé, their necks moist with sweat, both unleashed streams of elegant strikes with clever feints against each other.

"Remember to adjust your feet, Pad, Makashi relies heavily on that. Coordination of your arms, legs, and footing is key, not just feeling the Force," Ruwee lectured, staring carefully at the two developing duelists.

"You will not beat me this time, Abe," Padmé slyly promised as the signature Naberrie determination burned in her eyes.

"You're on, Pad," Sabé said.

Sabé quickly realized that Padmé was slowly gaining dominance in the match, so she quickly switched styles to Djem So to catch Padmé by surprise. The relentless, strong strikes upon Padmé forced her to abandon offensive acutely angled attacks and revert to Soresu, a purely defensive lightsaber form developed by the Jedi. Briefly, the two duelists faced each other in silence as the grunts of shaaks echoed from afar.

"You've gotten better Pad, but don't get cocky."

"I never get cocky Sabé, I'm as cautious as a lawyer."

"You have the heart of a diplomat, Pad. I think that you will make a great Queen someday."

"Well, it's awfully soon to know that Sabé, let's just see in the meantime who wins. May the Force be with us."

Padmé began to feel tired from wasting her energy upon the iron-hard defensive form of Sabé, so she used a last resort move: the "Naberrie Pinprick". The motion was to pretend to fall backwards, and acutely swipe diagonally upward towards the abdomen in an extreme angle once the opponent went in for the kill. Surprisingly, the old move succeeded, and Sabé yelped when Padmé stuck her, thus resulting in a mild burn on the abdomen. Padmé could not help grinning when Sabé, rubbing her new burn, wore a annoyed expression. Persistence, or stubbornness paid off, although her classmates disliked it.

"Nice trick there, looks like my trickster streak is rubbing off on you," said Sabé.

On the other platform, "Shiro" Fierro Arias watched his daughter practice her force shielding against a training remote, as the plasma blasts spattered harmlessly off her dome of energy.

"Look like you got the hang of it, "Eire", you might make it as a royal handmaiden," Shiro Sir Arias said, which lit up a smile on the face of his student who usually found happiness in training with her uncle.

"Thanks, Uncle, is there anything else to improve on?"

"Not really, Eirtaé. Come and have a drink, it seems that you've perspired an awful lot," said Sir Arias, motioning for Eirtaé to sit on the stone bench.

After the lightsaber sparring, Eirtaé, Sabé, and Padmé all sat together on the stone bench while watching the Naboo sun hide behind a large cloud, as their bodies felt cooler under the dimmed sunlight. Their training lightsabers gave a faint glow in the shadow of the cloud. They then interlocked their arms together and sung a Nabooian song of hope, and the men sat in peace. Despite the darkness, light always prevailed, as the darkness is merely an absence of light. Despite the evil of Veruna and secretly Palpatine, good still existed in the galaxy somewhere...

The Arias family and Naberries eventually reunited back at the Varykino lake estate an hour afterward. All the girls were tired, yet satisfied with their training performance, and happy that they got to know each other slightly deeper than before.


	3. Looming Shadow

_2 years later: Theed Primary Academy_

"Tag, 'Abe, you're it!" said Padmé, who called her friend by her childhood nickname.

"Ugh, Don't call me that," said Sabé.

Sabé Pelare chased her companion around a Theed Primary Academy courtyard with the agility of a podracer. Padmé had a grin across her face as she ran throughout the courtyard past fountains gushing sparkling water, as her dark hair glided in the summer breeze. Dry leaves rustled over the paved stones, a few birds cawed overhead, and Sabé tailed her friend, even with Force speed. In the span of a few minutes, Sabé surprised her and Padmé was "it" again. Sabé, a natural trickster, appeared behind a column to ambush her friend from behind, and Padmé briefly felt jealousy toward her friend who inherited Force cloak.

"Eek!"

"Gotcha!"

"Reqo, you got me. I couldn't feel your aura, like you were invisible," said Padmé.

"Padmé... _ney tranca pleska_ , it's just tag. I merely used Force cloak, a gift that runs in my family blood," said Sabé.

"Sorry, it's just that my father can be grumpy sometimes, he works long hours as a history and political science professor in the university. I must've learned some of his cuss words." Sabé snickered at the slightly embarrassing confession of her friend.

"Anyways, he may be wise yet stubborn, but he is a good father who has taught me many things in life to grow strong and independent," Padmé continued, ignoring the fact that her friend was close to laughing about her.

"I know Pad, but sometimes your dad makes me uncomfortable. He's always picky about who's allowed to be your friend and who can't, he's so controlling," said Sabé, keeping her snicker under control.

"Just saying, I feel as if I'm the only friend you have in this academy, and same goes for you. I often wonder, do you feel lonely or isolated?" she continued, as Padmé silently sat and listened carefully to her friend.

"Don't worry Sabé. I'm happy that I have somebody like you as my friend besides "Erie", you always understand who I am as a person, especially about our "Force-connection". Almost everybody is somewhat scared of us, but at least we have our friendship. About my dad, he strongly cares for my safety, even if I may not need it. Trust me, I've known my dad for ten standard years, and he's a good person inside. Just try to get more familiar with him," Padmé assured Sabé, who returned a faint smile from the consolation of her friend.

"Good to know that you aren't bothered by the fact that you have many rival classmates, nor by the fact that we are the only two Force-sensitives in this academy," said Sabé.

"Yes, I'm familiar with being rejected, my father never sat well with his class mates as he was so stubborn," elaborated Padmé.

"Really?" asked Sabé with some doubt.

"Of course Sabé, he was a lone wolf until he met my kind, strong mother. Now they've been together for over a standard decade and enjoy their company beyond what anyone could comprehend," said Padmé.

"That's sweet Padmé. Of course its good to know that they are happy together," said Sabé.

Just after Sabé finished her sentence, the academy bell chimed to indicate the last class transition period, alerting the schoolgirls to their responsibilities as students. Startled by the bell, the two girls swiftly returned to their school bags underneath their favorite lunchtime location, a stone bench shaded by a aged oak tree. As both of them packed up for the next class, Padmé glanced at her wrist chrono, and slung her school satchel on her shoulder.

"See you later," she said to Sabé.

"OK, I'll see you after session four." said Sabé in anticipation for their afternoon walk.

Padmé, dressed in her azure, gold-sleeved student robe, walked alongside her classmates through the marble hallways of the Primary Academy. As she approached the school hologram bulletin, she saw a poster reading: " **Youth Legislative League Program at Theed University: Serve the Galactic Republic. Responsibility, Consistency, Service, Eloquence".** Her brown eyes lit up, her dream career flashing in front of her gaze. A past quote by her father came to mind: "Politics, the craft of governing a society: leading with courage, representing with understanding, deciding with reason. If you get the power of a senator, which few have, never use it beyond a tool. It's not just for yourself: it's for the people you stand for."

However, Padmé felt conflicted over her desire to become a politician despite being compassionate, headstrong, intelligent, and Force-sensitive. Her heart was divided between her two loves: duty to the community and love for her family. She was reluctant to leave her family behind, the people who had loved and raised her since birth. Neither did Padmé would allow people throughout the Galaxy suffer from injustice. Thus, she decided to later discuss her career dreams with her parents. Quickly, Padmé downloaded the poster onto her datapad to discuss her aspirations with her parents after her last class of the day, which would pass with ease except for one classmate discussion about macroeconomics...

"Thus, I strongly suggest that we should raise taxes up by five percent to pay off the debt owed to Kuat for the construction of the fleet, and help the needy of Naboo," concluded Padmé in her speech.

"That's bantha fodder," muttered a student under his breath.

"High taxes don't solve everything but they can cause inflation from the rise of product prices by business to stay afloat. That's like digging a grave for the people themselves," critiqued a student.

"The last thing we need is a bigger government under Dear Leader Veruna," said a dark-haired girl.

"Quiet down students! An honorable Nubian can speak better than this! I know that the Labor Party is not popular here, but free speech is respecting other views that you disagree with," said the professor.

"Look guys and girls, I dislike Veruna too, but can't we all just get along? The last thing I want to hear on a last school day is _antagi perst_ ," pleaded Padmé.

(Note: _antagi perst_ is the equivalent of the phrase "ad hominem" in Nubian.)

" _Sapa berda_ ," a student inaudibly whispered, unknowingly invalidating himself by calling his classmate a smart ass.

"You did pretty well, Padmé. You spoke with the words of a senator," communicated Sabé from afar.

"Thanks friend, but I am less than enthusiastic to mention how everyone reacted, except for my professor," said Padmé through her Force-connection with Sabé.

The bell chimed, and the students all packed up their holopads and utensils and left, leaving an isolated and upset Padmé and her professor behind. The professor felt pity for his top student, and decided to give her the highest mark for the speech final. Padmé wore an expression of confusion because she felt undeserving of the grade, but the professor simply gave her a thumbs up and encouraged her to follow her career dream of becoming queen and potentially senator.

"Regardless of what you peers said, we need a new, sensible, strong-willed, and sympathetic ruler of Naboo. I think that no matter what everyone says against you, those are not predictions. Learn to turn away from overly idealistic goals or ignore when necessary, my pupil, and concentrate on what matters most to you. Overall, I am happy to see you pass this stage of life, and I want you to at least remember this last lecture for you," assured the professor.

"Don't worry, professor, I'll be fine. It's been a pleasure learning from you," said Padmé. She did not agree with his anti-idealistic stance, but the rest of his words shone true to her.

"Goodbye, pupil," said the professor with a sad yet proud look on his somewhat wrinkled face with gray hair.

 _After Padmé's Promotion Ceremony_

Padmé Naberrie, wore light-blue synth fabric attire with leather boots as she walked with Sabé, and looked straight away from the crowd of cheering students that threw their school gowns up in the air. After her valedictorian speech, she was unenthusiastic to meet her classmates from her rejection, yet still held an firm will to become an exemplary leader of Naboo someday. She could not abandon her values of family and public service, as they were her two driving forces behind her spirit. Sabé simply put her arm around her shoulders to comfort her friend who radiated feelings of confusion and pain into the Force.

"Why don't we have a snack at Gallo Bakery to cheer you up? You seem really bothered by your fellow classmates," said Sabé.

"Of course Sabé! How do you think I feel? I've been trash-talked and shunned by every one of my schoolmates over the most absurd thing ever, politics! Also, they don't care about the weak and the unfortunate of society, just their own self-righteousness," grumbled Padmé, her repressed anger boiling below the surface.

"Well, if you support a political opinion that isn't so great during these tense filled years of dealing with an agitated trade superpower, of course they would act up," said Sabé, shrinking back from the emotional outburst.

"I'll consider that fact. Otherwise, I stay with my ideas, not shaky popular opinion... At least I managed to expand the Naboo Galactic Relief Movement to Tatooine by pestering my dad to promote the expansion," said Padmé with slightly less anger.

"Oh really? That's impressive for a twelve year-old girl like you to sway the mind of a roughly thirty year old man," said Sabé.

"Please, don't flatter me Sabé. I feel less than stellar today, and I just want a damn pastry... with extra berry jam and a drink of Gallo Mount soda," said Padmé in a quieter tone.

As the two childhood friends walked through the streets of Old Theed, they saw the metallic hulks of skyscrapers stand in the distance, and passed adult clubs in the slums filled with debauchery and crime. Beside a shop, they saw a scrawny boy no older than fourteen shuffling in an alleyway wearing tattered clothes. His desperate gaze met her brown eyes, imploring her to give money for his next meal.

"Please ma'am, I'm starving. Some credits would be appreciated, " the boy said with formality, despite being in poverty.

"Here you go, enjoy your meal," whispered Padmé as she gave the boy a ten credit bill from her wallet. The corruption of Veruna sparked concern in the mind of Padmé; many gangs were rumored to engage in illicit moonshine importing deals with him. They continued on towards the pastry shop in the warm, semi-dry air, and reached Theed Cafe within a standard hour.

The order took little time, as the cashier was familiar with young Padmé and Sabé as customers. Oftentimes they would order jam filled pastries or shaak meat sandwiches, and this time they felt satisfied when receiving the warm Nubian dishes for lunch. Chatting about preteen crushes, summer plans, and hobbies helped Padmé find comfort from the verbal abuse by her classmates. Sitting together, Padmé and Sabé not only were independent schoolgirls, but friends who looked out for one another and trusted each other with a faith of durasteel. Whatever presented a hardship for one became the burden of the other. Yet Padmé still felt uneasy over her life crossroad, to become a queen living in solitude or become a Master Kereire with her family. During that same day, King Veruna considered the option of planning the demise of the Naberries...

 _Theed Royal Palace, Theed, Naboo_

The throne room of the Monarch of Naboo was silent as usual, with its purple, gold-yellow edged carpeting hardly disturbed by ambassadors, senators, or Coruscant celebrities. Outside , the sky was darkening as the horizon wallowed the Naboo sun, and soon Theed was only illuminated by the moonlight of Ohma D'un, Rori and Tasa. Apparently the palace keepers had done their job well, so the King awarded them two Naboo days off duty. Veruna felt content with the flow of events of his reign since his approval increased by twenty percent for modernizing industries and implementing a defense fleet as a result of a one-time deal with Kuat Shipyards.

King Veruna looked out of the throne room and gazed at the emerging skyline with pride as he saw Nubian styled high-rises being constructed outside the historic sector of Theed. Their tall, majestic durasteel and super reinforced glass facade made them sparkle in the moonlight like their own palaces of old, housing multitudes of Nubians. As a result, Theed had grown to from a backwater settlement to a metropolis of five million within thirty years; it was now infamous throughout the Mid Rim for its history, culture, riches, and of course, the women. Soon his reminiscing ended from an interruption by a handmaiden named Saché, an older handmaiden at eighteen years old and a relative of the Pelare House. Veruna noted that he must be careful to avoid suspicion from the Naberries through his most trusted handmaiden.

Saché, a teenage brunette, wore the new handmaiden uniform, a pale red-mango gradient colored robe with a cloak of purple fireproof and acid resistant polymer fabric marked by the Naboo royal flower. Her hidden lightsaber and blaster rested in her pockets ready for protecting the monarch at quick notice. She pulled out a small silver hologram disc from the folds of her attire and held it out towards the King.

"Your Highness, you have received a transmission from Ambassador Palpatine," said Saché Erres.

Veruna thought about his close friendship with Palpatine, as he had mentored him in politics when he was campaigning for Prince. Also, he had shared a mutual interest in gaining power and influence. Both Veruna himself and Palpatine desired power for a sense of security to shape their environment to fit their ideals. Veruna craved power, as he inwardly feared the feeling of weakness he felt after his parents perished in a tragic speeder crash. Power was his _only_ comfort to cover that wound in his heart, and he would fight to keep all his accomplishments secure. Recently, he had debated against the soon-to-be Princess of Naboo: Padmé of House Naberrie, and had been frequently criticized by the Naberries for his warlike policies despite the security they brought for Naboo.

"Understood, now leave us," said King Veruna, and Saché left the the monarch to allow him to talk with the ambassador and secret Sith apprentice. Veruna activated the hologram, and saw an image of a red-haired, middle-aged man appear.

"I see that the defense fleet of yours has been brought to reality. After all, the Trade Federation and Techno Union hardly trusts us, thus we must prepare for the worst: an invasion. Aldo, the economy has boomed recently. Of course I congratulate you for your will to make Naboo great again, alongside the will to protect your people. You are a man of vision. However, you are aware of the increasing protest against your activities, such as the Civil Security Intel Act a few years earlier. The pesky Naberries present a threat to the safety and peace of Naboo, as evidenced by their... alternate views and public influence as veterans," said Palpatine to inflate the pride and power mania of Veruna.

"Yes, the Naberries are a threat to the security of Naboo, the situation I face with them is quite sticky. I require some way to dispose of them, dead or alive, as they have been a thorn in my side for years. All that I have worked for may go to waste from their opposition," said Veruna with an expression of disgust at the mention of the prominent house of Nubian warriors.

"Acknowledged, Your Majesty and good friend. Looks like I have a special favor to give concerning the Naberries. I have connections with the Nubian Supremacist radicals, and they also possess a well trained army of hit men to eliminate them," added Palpatine.

The Sith apprentice knew that Veruna, the egotistical power grabber, would not refuse his offer, which was destined to remove obstacles to the galactic takeover by the Sith. The Naberries would never approve of an oppressive dictatorship. For the apprentice, the art of manipulation came naturally to Palpatine, as every person had a weakness that could be used to bend him or her to his will.

"Interesting offer, Ambassador, but I must have time to consider the situation carefully," said Veruna with a grimace on his face.

"Consider your choices carefully, Your Highness."

"I will make a decision soon, Ambassador and good friend," said Veruna. The hologram flickered out.

King Veruna sat up from the chrome edged throne, his legs tingling with numbness after extended time sitting down. Being King of Naboo was an exalted yet taxing position to attain, physically and mentally. Feeling tired from a long day of reading reports and revising laws and decrees by Parliament, Veruna wanted to go through his secret Force exercises in his bedroom. Of course, being the last remaining member of your royal blood was something to ignore while meditating to release his troubles into the Force. The radicals may have accidentally called an hit on his parents long ago, but he found a chance to turn the oppositions to his side within the extremist-nationalist group: a chance to kill the Naberries. The King acutely missed his parents, but still widely grinned with mania and ego, despite the contradicting feelings within; he had to validate himself as a strong, beloved leader after being orphaned. Power was his rescue from his troubles and a chance to make others show affection to him. yet the Naberries seemed poised to take that all away. Veruna was not a stupid man, but a patient schemer: waiting for four years until Padmé reached a high political status in order to effectively shock the population to accept his political direction was a sound option.

Clenching his fist, Veruna shattered a porcelain vase with the Force out of anger, and realized he had made a blunder keeping his Force powers a secret. Quickly, Veruna levitated the broken fragments to the floor beside the narrow shelf where the vase once stood. Relieved, Veruna cloaked his Force presence and entered his bedroom just as Saché passed by, confused by the surge of anger she had felt from the monarch. Once again with a suppressed sigh, Saché had to remind herself that Veruna was an emerging psychopath prone to ego rants and anger outbursts. She immediately notified a palace keeper on her comlink to clean up the shattered porcelain bits on the floor. Saché found herself reflecting on her grueling two years as a handmaiden to Veruna. In other words, the unfortunate handmaiden was supposed to protect a power-hungry psycho from danger despite being a potent aggressor to the Trade Federation, a much larger threat to Naboo. By serving the King, she was essentially dooming her home planet, the Naboo Force user society, and herself to destruction.

" _How kriffing 'worthy' could this 'esteemed' duty be_ ," Saché thought sarcastically as she walker back to her quarters. Upon arriving at her quarters, she changed clothing into her nightgown. She removed the purple cloak, and hung it within her wardrobe. Then she unfastened her utility belt, which contained her lightsaber and blaster, and placed it in her wardrobe. Saché took a deep breath, and briefly thought about King Veruna. How would an emotionally unstable person like Veruna enter office as King of Naboo? After changing out of her elaborate handmaiden robes, she brushed her teeth and settled into bed. Before she fell asleep, all she could hope was that Veruna was not a heart-over-head buffoon.


	4. The Encounter

**A.N: In case you are wondering, I did not forget about Anakin. He will appear in this chapter. To clear up misconceptions,** **Padmé and Sab** **é's afternoon walk takes place at noon, not during evening.**

 _(Four hours earlier) Naberrie Street, Theed, Naboo_

Padmé and Sabé, satisfied with their after school lunch, walked together in silence along the cobblestone street towards the Naberrie villa. Their schoolbags already felt like carrying a mini shaak on their backs, and both girls felt tired from the walk across half of old Theed. Walking into the front yard alongside the surrounding flower beds, Padmé called for her family to open the door.

"Mom, Dad, Sola, I'm home!"

"Coming, " Sola called.

Sola pressed a button and the door slid open to reveal Padmé and Sabé, who were confused about where Jobal had gone, as she normally arrived early to watch the house.

"Sola, where is Mom?" asked Padmé as she entered the villa greeting room and walked to her room, her sister following behind. Sabé closed and locked the front sliding door.

"I don't know, Jobal said she would buy some extra clothes for the summer, but she hasn't returned for at least fifteen minutes,"

"Yeah, how about we go look for Mom, I hope she isn't harmed," said Padmé with a worried expression while she unpacked her school items alongside her datapad. Her conversation with her parents about her conflict over her dream of politics would have to wait for a better time.

Then a message notification bleeped on her comlink. Padmé gazed at the flashing light and pressed the speaker button.

"Just to let you know dear, I'm stuck in an air-jam. So many hover-trucks today on the Theed speeder way. I'll be home... eventually," heard Padmé.

"At least your mother hasn't been captured or harmed at all, Padmé," reassured Sabé.

Another message from Ruwee activated the notification light. Padmé also pressed the button to hear his message, wondering if her father had finished his shift as a history professor in the university that stood on the other side of Old Theed.

"My class has a larger lecture than usual, Pad. Looks like I won't be returning in time for the noon. BUT I want you to stay in the villa, and don't open the door to strangers. I want you to be safe and undisturbed, I hope we can talk about what bothered you at school today." heard Padmé.

" _Thanks Dad. I appreciate the concern,_ " sent Padmé through the Force link.

" _Love you... please watch your sister and friend and behave,"_ sent Ruwee to his daughter.

Padmé closed off the Force communication link with her father, feeling relieved that he was fine. Yet thoughts of her looming future still bothered Padmé, although she was becoming independent and intelligent beyond her years. She found herself as losing the freedom and innocence that a preteen like her should have had, because she had discerned the true, imperfect, corrupt nature of the galaxy. In addition, she was about to make a decision that would either keep her with her family or separate her from them. The following of politics as a teenager definitely posed as a dream and thorn in her life at this time, with both options as daunting as the steep Gallo mountain paths. An urgent question by Sola interrupted her reflections.

"So Mother and Father are alright?" asked Sola.

"Yes, it's just terrible traffic today, and Dad has a longer work day at the university as usual," said Padmé.

"That's great to hear, sister. Now how about we find something to do while mother and father are away..." proposed Sola.

"How about watching a holodisc movie?" said Padmé.

"Yeah, just make sure its not your parents' old steamy romance classics like what happened by accident last time," teased Sabé.

"Sabé!"

About one hour later, the Naberrie girls sat on the living room couch with their eyes glued to the movie with horrified faces as space worms ate their way through the body of the super-villain. Excruciating screams of agony filled the living room and slowly died down. However, Sabé stoically kept her eyes open as the worms finished their meal from the body of the hapless antagonist, and glanced at the Naberrie girls. The future Pelare heiress rolled her eyes at the normally strong-minded Naberrie girls cowering in fear.

"Calm down, Pad, Sola, it's just a movie!" said Sabé with a smirk.

"You! You switched the discs between their cartridges!" angrily said Padmé, finally noticing the quick prank perpetrated by her friend. Like her sister, Sola wore a greatly annoyed expression on her face.

"Well, what did you expect? I'm a Pelare prankster at heart, and I couldn't let you stay upset since after school," stated Sabé, who could not resist grinning at the shocked, annoyed expression of Padmé.

"Okay, Sabé. I'll let you off easier this time, but I must admit that the sneakiness of your prank beats even bounty hunters," said Padmé, still red with a mixture of anger and some pleasure from the prank by her friend.

About a standard half-hour passed before both of the Naberrie parents returned. Upon hearing the whine of their speeders decelerating near the villa, the young schoolgirls quickly returned the horror movie disc to its cartridge to conceal it within a drawer. To cover up any suspicion, Padmé placed a Nubian puzzle cube among them and pretended to closely study it. Surprisingly, their ruse worked, and Jobal and Ruwee entered the greeting room to find their house silent. The Naberrie couple saw nothing wrong when observing the condition of their villa, except for the lingering emotions that Padmé felt after school.

 _"Nothing seems wrong, Jo. I told you that the children would keep the house in order, especially themselves."_

 _"You're right, honey. Yet I still sense some excitement from_ _Padmé and Sab_ _é. What on Naboo happened?"_

Ruwee soon suspected some suspicious activity by Padmé, Sola, and their friend Sabé.

"Padmé, Sola, we know that something happened when we were away. You girls might as well tell us the whole story," said Ruwee in his stern voice. Padmé knew that her father meant business judging by his hard gaze with his narrowed eyes; she could potentially be expecting a month without being allowed to invite her friends or watch her holo-documentaries.

"I am sorry, Mister and Miss Naberrie. I decided to trick my friends into watching one of your cheesy horror classics as a prank. The real reason was that I just wanted to cheer up my friend Padmé after some bullying she had at the academy over political beliefs," said Sabé, her head facing the ground in a shameful slump.

Padmé found herself gaping in surprise as her friend defended her, as she was the one who lost control over her rationality. The Pelare girl felt sorry for getting her friend into trouble with parents despite out of good will. Ruwee and Jobal both looked at each other and then at the Pelare girl, and considered what to say. After a few moments of muttering and a few Nubian curses at the bullies of her daughter, both Naberrie elders made their decision.

"We appreciate what you did for our younger daughter, Sabé. But we still have to punish her with a less severe but fitting punishment: she will see you less often to ensure that she is well-disciplined in obedience and self-control," said Ruwee. Sabé could only nod in agreement with the result of the situation.

"Sorry, Pad'," apologized Sabé to Padmé, who nodded her head to indicate her acceptance of the apology of her best friend.

"Yes, Dad, but can I talk with you and Mom about my decision whether to join politics, or the Nubian Force-user society?" asked Padmé.

"Of course, all of us within the family need to be honest with each other for the sake of shared trust," said Ruwee.

"Well, how do I put it this way... I desire to help the defenseless and unfortunate of society in my dream to become queen and maybe senator in the far future. I just can't bear to see those individuals suffer. But at the same time, I would hate leaving both of you, Mom and Dad, since you are my family who cared for me through all my twelve years. To just push you both away from the direction my life takes, that feels wrong, like abandoning my family. I just want to know which is the right path for me and if you approve. I just feel so lost," said Padmé with an uneasy tone.

"If you become Naboo's Queen or a Nubian Force warrior like the Arias House members, I will live happy knowing that everything I did for you succeeded in raising you the right way, the Naberrie way. Either way, you will be serving our planet and the galaxy for the greater good," said Ruwee, caressing the chocolate curls of her daughter with fatherly tenderness.

"Also, I don't understand why you are afraid to move on to the next stage of life, dear. Your father had always desired with all his heart to see you grow up to be an independent, strong Naberrie woman. So moving on towards a life of politics away from us would not hurt us at all. Sure we'll miss you, but we'll also be immensely proud of you," added Jobal, holding the hands of her daughter, as if she willed her daughter to find strength to do a difficult thing. Padmé nodded yes when asked about her decision to join politics.

"Really? You and Dad are comfortable with my decision now to join politics?"

"Yes, I feel that way, dear. I assure you that we will support you every step of the way," confirmed Jobal.

Padmé tried to hold back tears, but found the effort futile. She collapsed into her the embrace of her father and mother, touched by their encouragement to move on to her destiny, and teared up. Sola also walked over and hugged her younger sibling along with Sabé. Padmé realized that love hopes, cares, and endures, no matter who she may become or where she may go, and her family and friends had helped her understand that. After the tears stopped, Ruwee and Jobal told Sola and Sabé to move to their chosen bedroom to allow a quiet moment to further speak to their daughter.

"You may do some things that we may not approve of, but that has no effect on how much we love you, Padmé. Now we want you to be strong and not worry too much about what may happen. After all, everyone sometimes makes blunders in life, even your stubborn, intelligent father here," said Jobal.

"Darling, as much as I may dislike admitting that, you are right," said Ruwee with a half-smile...

A few hours later, Padmé prepared to go to bed. Changing into her pajamas inside her yellow-walled bedroom, Padmé looked at holopictures of moments of her life glowed faint shades of blue just above her head. She saw one hologram flash the moment of her graduation of the academy a few hours ago, and another one flash the moment of her very first Force training session. Looking at the pictures, Padmé felt that she as meant for a certain destiny bigger than she could comprehend, as if the events of her childhood lead up to a focal point: her choice to follow politics as a type of guardian. As a result of approval by her parents, Padmé finally felt comfortable with adopting a lifestyle around duty to society through politics.

After a dreamless sleep, Padmé awoke and decided to visit the Theed Relief Movement Processing Center to meet one group of new refugees from the desert planet of Tatooine. Padmé sat upright in her bed and rubbed her eyes with a yawn. Padmé dressed up in her normal attire, heard footsteps and commotion within the kitchen. Sola and Sabé had not yet awakened from their sleep, and she saw them still asleep in their shared bed. Jobal and Ruwee were making scrambled eggs and breakfast rolls, and smelled the aroma of toasted bread.

"Thanks, Mom, thanks Dad," said Padmé.

"Not a problem, dear," said Jobal.

Padmé quickly finished her breakfast, brushed her teeth, and prepared to leave for the refugee processing center. The thought of people still suffering from slavery in the galaxy disturbed her, as they were innocent and had friends alongside families like her own. She desired to understand the true severity of the refugee issue of Naboo through experience to gain knowledge for future decisions in her target career.

"Dad, when we go check out the refugee center?"

"Actually Pad', I'm ready to drive us there in our speeder. Jo, watch Sola and Sabé until I get back," said Ruwee.

"Don't be gone too long, Ru," answered Jobal.

"Okay Jo'," said Ruwee before walking with his youngest daughter out the front door. The trip would not take long. Neither would the meeting of Padmé Naberrie and Anakin Skywalker take long to change their lives forever.

 _Theed Relief Movement Refugee Center, Theed, Naboo_

"We've made it Ani. Watto's pre-bought transport tickets really did help us, " commented Shmi Skywalker to the blonde preteen boy Anakin Skywalker, the future "warrior" of the prophesied Chosen Two, as they both sat on cold durasteel benches waiting for their settlement cards to be approved.

"I know, but I can't understand how Watto just let us go without an argument or hassle. We've been his slaves for about four years," said Anakin with a confused expression as he gazed at the freshly stamped tickets.

"Well it's mainly the promise of better paying jobs here, which makes a better living than Tatooine could ever give. Watto freed us only because he cared for us and wanted a better livelihood. He simply moved on to his hope of being an accountant," answered Shmi.

"Wow, look at the size of those buildings. Tatooine never had any skyscrapers, not even a large settlement like Mos Espa. This place seems awfully rich from some sort of trade," said Anakin in amazement as he sat in awe of the skyline of styled stone and durasteel buildings.

"Yes, Ani, the Nubians of Naboo often export plasma for energy devices and weapon makers, as I heard," said Shmi while gazing out the window with her son.

"But why would the Republic or the Nubians neglect freeing all those slaves like us from that vile slave trade of a Hutt? It's unfair!" grumbled Anakin with clenched fists trembling from his bitterness.

"I don't know the answer to that, Ani, but there are some things we cannot change like the fall of the Tatooine suns, or the existence of evil. Sometimes all we can do is make the best from the present situation," said Shmi.

Finally, their residency card was approved and uploaded to the census database of Naboo. Shmi and Anakin Skywalker both smiled with joy, as their lives as slaves were officially over since the Refugee program provided protections under the Republic Code of Rights. Anakin hugged his mother and could hardly grasp the concept of living life normally after being abused or ordered around for fourteen years. Even Shmi could hardly come to terms with the situation they faced, since she had been enslaved for around twenty years. Now the ex-slaves could finally enjoy freedom for their remaining years. The officer at the counter handed to them two identification cards and two small bundles of Republic currency as a starting benefit.

"Enjoy your residence here on Naboo, ma'am," said the officer.

"Thanks sir," said Anakin as he took his luggage and exited the waiting room. The two ex-slaves found themselves in a large courtyard after some walking through the hallways. Anakin was awestruck by the large trees that waved in the summer breeze, their leaves slowly raining down onto the paved stone floor. Instead of the coarse, rough, irritating sands of the Dune Sea, Anakin saw multitudes of trees and flowers among the stone architecture, and concluded that they reached the outside gardens. Shmi then saw a moderate height, brown-eyed, black-haired man no older than forty with formal attire and a petite brunette girl in a gray-blue dress walking in their direction.

"Anakin, someone is approaching," said Shmi to alert his son to the approaching people who were probably wealthy, aristocratic Nubians.

Anakin Skywalker turned around from the massive tree to face a beautiful, slender girl with dark curly hair and chocolate brown eyes with ivory pale skin. He gaped with his mouth open, and his jaw slacked. Scrambling to make a good impression on the Nubian beauty peering into his dark-blue eyes, he said the most absurd line of speech one could say to a Force-sensitive Naberrie.

"Am I dead or have I spotted an angel? 'Cause you're literally shining in the sunlight," said a stunned and momentarily infatuated young Anakin.

"What? I don't understand," said Padmé out of confusion, her eyes wide open in surprise. She could notice that the Force aura of the young blond preteen boy shone like a supernova, unusually bright for a casual Tatooian refugee. The boy was Force-sensitive like her. Also, she began to feel strange emotions for this boy; her face flooded with a surge of warmth from hints of affection for the innocent adolescent boy.

"My name is Ruwee Naberrie, and my daughter here is Padmé. And your names are...?" asked Ruwee with a stern and formal tone after clearing his throat. The Head of the Naberrie House stared with narrowed eyes at the young blond boy who had very recently tried to make romantic advances on his youngest daughter before coming of age. He also raised an eyebrow as he sensed something her daughter had noticed earlier, the astronomical power surging from the Force aura of the young blond boy.

 _"Not so fast, young one_. _Nobody fools with my daughter,"_ messaged Ruwee to Anakin.

 _"Sorry, Mister Naberrie,"_ silently responded Anakin.

"I apologize for the unusual behavior of my son, Mister Naberrie. Our names are Shmi and Anakin Skywalker," said Shmi, ignoring the tension between her son and the stern nobleman.

"Nice to meet you Shmi Skywalker. How is Naboo for you both?" asked Ruwee while shaking hands with the short, dark-haired refugee woman.

"It's lively and soothing, it's much better than Tatooine in the scenery and wildlife." said Anakin, who gazed at another large tree opposite from Padmé.

"Yes, Naboo is quite a scenic and _relatively_ peaceful planet, especially with our competent King Veruna. I hope you enjoy your time living here, as there are many employment opportunities," said Ruwee, as he quickly regained his composure.

As Shmi conversed with Ruwee, Anakin decided to attempt to know more about Padmé through a conversation not about attractive looks. Padmé seemed virtually unaffected by the earlier awkward impression that Anakin had made for her, and asked Anakin about where his background.

"Now that we know each other's names, how about we introduce some facts about our childhoods?" asked Padmé.

"Sure, but you are not gonna enjoy hearing it... I was actually born as a slave of Jabba the Hutt, and then was sold off to a Toydarian named Watto and worked for him over nine years. But I've always yearned to be a spaceship pilot, since I always had good reflexes and a sense that Mom and I can't describe," testified Anakin about his past.

"Oh... That must have been awful. I guess that now you must be happy to be freed from being a slave," said Padmé with pity for the awkward Tatooian boy.

"I've always considered myself to be a person, Padmé, not property. Even my mother would say the same," said Anakin with abrupt bitterness burning within his tone.

"I didn't mean to offend you Anakin, my bad. How about we change the subject to myself?"

"Sure. I'd like to know how you got here at this position."

"Well, I was born into a noble family of Naboo, which makes me more eligible to run for Queen of Naboo. My family also has many members who are strong in this sense that you inherited, and we try to safeguard our planet with 'Force powers' as it is our only home. Oftentimes we would train in the summer breaks out of my school sessions and do some fun exercises like swimming and playing tag in the flower fields..."

The conversations continued between the Skywalkers and Naberries for nearly an hour, but both families grew to respect one another and come to an understanding despite the mediocre pickup line from Anakin.


	5. Emerging Plans

**A.N: As a reminder, I will not give up on this story, as I cannot stand unfinished stories at all.**

 **To Yue (Ch.4): Yes, Anakin and** **Padmé will get to know each other more deeply than canon. IF they're destined to fall in love and get married, then they should have a stronger foundation for their relationship.**

 **To sodorland: Thanks for the feedback!**

From his first conversation with Padmé, Anakin felt that his destiny was connected to her. He had been a slave all his life until his arrival on Naboo, and now he cared for the girl who treated him with kindness like his mother did. Padmé also had a feeling from the Force that they were connected, as she could feel a noticeable link between their Force auras. As they sat next to each other within the Naberrie speeder, Shmi and Ruwee had seemingly sparked a friendship, as both had gotten to sympathize with the experiences of each other. Of course, the growing relationship between the Naberries and Skywalkers had barely took root, but would later grow deeper since the Force willed its Chosen Two to be together.

Ruwee sat in his speeder, silently driving it towards the Naberrie villa. If the boy were not prodigiously strong in the Force and had lacked a kind, stubborn personality, he would not have introduced them to meet his family. He could not help but think of a legend from the distant Sith ancestors of the noble houses: the Sith'ari, the coming of an all-powerful Sith Lord who would rule the entire galaxy. Anakin was the most powerful Force-sensitive conceived, and what if the boy had been found before the Relief Movement had? Ruwee shuddered within at the fear of what would have occurred if a Sith had influenced the boy to become a Sith: how would his daughters be if that happened? He strongly believed that the boy must slowly learn about his strong connection to the Force, as alerting him to the truth would unbalance him in the Force.

Anakin turned to Ruwee as he easily sensed the emotions beneath his current stoic expression.

"Is something bothering you, Mister Naberrie?" said Anakin.

"Not anything major, young Skywalker," said Ruwee, his eyes focused on the traffic ahead of the speeder.

Unconvinced, Anakin tried to peer inside the mind of the older Naberrie, but was blocked by formidable mental shielding. Anakin was more convinced that his newfound companion had the Force running in her blood despite not revealing any Force powers. Could there be an explanation for why the Naberries were prohibited from major usage of Force powers? Obviously, the Naberries seemed respectable and benevolent to many of their fellow Nubians, but what did they do wrong? He felt an itching curiosity for an answer to his confusion.

"Why can't you use the Force openly, Padmé? You don't seem like the person who would hurt innocent people," asked Anakin.

"It's a long story, Anakin. Long ago, some Sith hid within the colony ships that founded the Naboo nation. Far descended from those Sith, our ancestors saved their nation from an army of radical Gungan supremacists, who hated our kind and wanted us to be wiped of the face of Naboo. Apparently, our people were in need of plasma to power their society, and accidentally defiled their ancestral lands, so the war went on for twenty years. Not until did we Naberries wipe out the radicals and call for a truce did the war end. My great-great-great grandfather Macio did the noble deed of ending the war and bringing peace to Naboo..." said Padmé with a sigh.

"Tell me more. What really happened, Padmé?" questioned Anakin, his ocean blue eyes looking at Padmé with the curiosity of a little boy.

"The Force powers of us nobles caused side effects earthquakes and fires, as we were forced to use Dark Side powers to survive and protect the nation. Sadly, many civilians were caught in the battles destruction. In fact, the Green Plains region outside Theed is flat only because of the Force powers and Gungan weapons. The people feared us and sanctioned us off from the military and Force use soon afterwards, the cost of victory was too great," said Padmé with a hint of sadness.

"So the people just rejected their heroes and good people like you after all their efforts to help Naboo?" Anakin clarified .

"Yeah, you just summarized the past eighty years of my heritage, basically remaining hidden under threat of arrest," Padmé bitterly said.

"I feel sorry for all of the nobles including you, but I kinda understand what rejection feels like. No one wants to accepts you for who you are, and for me it was being known as a person," said Anakin, holding the hand of the saddened girl sitting next to him.

"I'm glad to hear that you understand our situation right now. I worry about how people will accept me when I become Queen of Naboo," Padmé said .

"Oh, don't worry, you are an angel on the inside, not just than the outside: kind, strong-willed, and wiser than her years," Anakin reassured Padmé .

"You are mostly right, but I feel that your statement seems like flattery," Padmé scoffed.

"I just respect you as a person, Padmé , not like a slave or possession," Anakin reassured.

"I guess that... I can respect your kind, passionate personality, and you aren't afraid to speak your mind," responded Padmé, and smiled once again with her chocolate brown eyes shining at Anakin, who felt comforted by the growing of the seed of his friendship with Padmé.

"We have arrived at our home, guys and girls, just be ready to say hello," Ruwee reminded, as he stopped the speeder within the villa garage.

Soon the Skywalkers exited the speeder and walked past the front flowerbeds, and Ruwee and Padmé soon followed. As the Naberrie family head and his youngest daughter approached the door, they hear it unlock. The door opened to reveal Jobal and Sola, who welcomed both family and guests into their humble home in Theed. Anakin, who had been born into poverty and slavery, was amazed as he walked down the hallway to view the artworks and colorful carpet designs throughout the main hallway.

"Who is this?" asked Anakin, pointing at a marble bust, while looking at Sola for an answer.

"It's my grandma on my father's side, Winama. She does lots of Holocron keeping for our family and the other noble families, so she's awfully important," Sola said, as she placed her hand upon the marble sculpture.

"Well, I gotta help Mother get the ingredients ready for lunch, see you later Anakin," said Sola, leaving Anakin standing alone in the empty hallway.

Suddenly, Anakin heard a thump, and went inside the guest room to investigate. He saw the yellow painted walls with hologram pictures of the Naberries and queen sized bed covered with clothes of Nubian cotton. His Force senses tingled, indicating to Anakin that another Force-sensitive was near, her appearance invisible. He head a yelp of surprise and felt an invisible force push him back a few meters back into the hallway. Startled, Anakin looked upward to see his attacker, most likely a female Nubian.

Anakin tried to refocus his eyes on the shimmer in front of him, which revealed a young brunette resembling Padmé in physical appearance except for a slightly taller head shape and caramel brown hair.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here in my friend's house?" Sabé interrogated, the serious expression obvious on her pale face.

"Uh, my name is Anakin. I just got here thanks to your friend's dad, he wanted us to meet the Naberries," Anakin said while attempting to stand up from the sudden Force push he bore.

"Well, sorry about the push, Anakin. I'm Sabé," greeted the caramel haired girl.

"Nice to meet you too, its been a long trip to get here from Tatooine as an ex-slave," Anakin said.

"You were a slave?"

"Yes, Sabé, I used to be a slave, now people know me as a refugee, and I hope to make a better living here. I also felt your aura, you are Force-sensitive as whatever Padmé calls it." Anakin said.

"You are correct, I was practicing my Force cloaking, a gift from my father," said Sabé, who continued her speech.

"Sorry to hear about what you went through, but please don't sneak up on me the next time we meet-"

"Anakin, Sabé, there you are!"

Their conversation was interrupted by Padmé, who entered the hallway with her older sister in an attempt to find her new friend. Padmé gestured for Anakin and Sabé to join them in a tour around the large villa. Soon, the four accomplices roamed the intricate villa, viewing all major bedrooms, antique furniture, and artifacts of past Naberries. Finally, Padmé, Sabé, Sola, and Anakin found themselves standing in the back lawn, where a short shurra tree sapling to the right of them stood.

"At last, this is our father's shurra tree, we Naberries decided that the fruit market was quite packed with customers, so we decided to grow our own fruit to enjoy it much quicker," Sola noted.

"Nice, I'd like to try the fruit when the tree is fully grown," Anakin said.

"Yes, as my sister would say, shurra fruit is delicious. It's sweet and juicy, but feels like putty in your mouth. Now past the tree, here is a good view of downtown Theed..." Padmé commented.

Eventually, the four friends returned inside the Naberrie home, and joined Jobal, Ruwee, and Shmi for lunch. As enjoyable the lunch was for both families with the tall tales of the ancestors of Ruwee and Jobal, the members within two different bloodlines had to part ways. After the meal was finished, Anakin departed and waved goodbye to Padmé as he walked towards a new stage of his life alongside his mother. Shmi also said a farewell to Ruwee and Jobal, a noble, benevolent couple of the Naboo people. As the Skywalkers approached a waiting hover transport that would take them to a new apartment, they both felt eager to begin their new lives as Naboo residents, with their hopes glittering in the future.

Three years passed, and the Skywalkers found a stable source of income and decent housing, a luxury they could never afford if they had remained enslaved in the harsh sands of Tatooine. Adjusting to the radically different planet they now called home, Shmi had started a small repair shop business in the outskirts of Theed, with Anakin and some childhood friends as the mechanic and Shmi as the business leader. Occasionally, both Skywalkers would contact their friends, the Naberries, whenever possible because of the kindness received during the first day upon Naboo. During communications and visits with the Naberries, Anakin grew closer to Padmé in his friendship, as both Skywalker and Naberrie could understand their emotions, thoughts, and aspirations on a deeper level especially with the Force. To the delight of the Naberries, Padmé became the princess of Naboo after dominating the votes for the Minnau prince, but neither Naberries or Skywalkers could see her for months. Thankfully, the potentially dangerous Force-sensitivity of Padmé was overlooked as a result of her impressive speech skills and intellect.

 _Theed Royal Palace, Theed, Naboo_

King Veruna sat at the meeting table with the Nubian Prime Minister Sio Bibble, a gaunt figured man in his early-fifties, alongside other prominent Parliament members. The monarch found himself smiling over the near-completion of his orbital defense system and full employment of all working-conditions was reached. The crime rings within Naboo had disappeared, and protests were less frequent thanks to increased policing.

However, the Naberries still remained a problem, and the time for the next monarch to be elected was approaching. Veruna only had a standard year left to carefully assassinate the Naberries or put them out of condition, and he was aware of the constitutional emergency term clause. The tiny clause stated that a Nubian monarch would be permitted to serve two additional terms if a governmental crisis occurred. What would be that crisis be? Veruna knew that Padmé Naberrie would be a perfect target to cause a state of emergency, as she was the princess of Theed and a beloved figure at fifteen years of age. In addition, the psychopath monarch inwardly smiled at the thought of ridding himself of his most prominent political critic. All Veruna had to do was to find a perfect time for assassination, as he had purchased an IG-87 assassin droid with a self-wiping memory chip...

 _"King Veruna, the time to strike is approaching. Decide wisely_ ," the voice of Plagueis coolly stated in the mind of Veruna.

"Your Highness, sorry to interrupt you, but may I repeat the financial report?" asked Sio Bibble, who seemed confused at the distant gaze of Veruna directed out the sunlit window.

"Yes, Minister Bibble, you may repeat the report. I have much in concern about my people," Veruna stoically said with a stern tone to conceal his true feelings about the Naberries.

The two hours passed with discussions of legislation, reports, and diplomacy with the feared Trade Federation, which seemed increasingly agitated and threatened a blockade. Meetings like this one gave Veruna headaches when ever his advisors and Parliament were unable to reach a decision. Yet the love of politics and his power was irresistible for Veruna, as he was a scheming psychopath at heart, similar to Senator Palpatine. Soon, the opportunity to assassinate Padmé would arrive, and all Veruna needed to do was wait like a hunter observing its prey. Fortunately for the king, the hit-men were specially trained to deal with Force-sensitives. After the meeting ,Veruna spoke into a comlink.

"Commodore Jain, looks like I have a prosperous deal for your organization..." whispered Ars Veruna, the servant of Palpatine but the King in public.

 _Princess Quarters in the Theed Royal Palace_

Padmé Naberrie, the new Princess of Naboo, stood silently in her elaborately decorated room with a silk bed, a enormous wardrobe, and classic paintings of past monarchs. The princess waited for the arrival of her security staff with the handmaidens arriving first, and was impressed when six handmaidens entered the room, but two of them appeared familiar when their faces were exposed. These faces were ones she had not seen for almost a Naboo moon cycle.

"Sabé, Eirtaé, you both are within my leading handmaidens?" Padmé wondered, her eyes wide in surprise as she stood in her crimson-edged, white princess gown.

"Yes, milady," said Sabé (now eighteen) and Eirtaé (now twenty-four) in unison.

"Good to see that you two are well disciplined on the first day of the job, but please call me Padmé in private. After all, we're still friends," chuckled Padmé.

"Of course, Padmé," her two friends said in agreement.

Padmé turned to face the four remaining handmaidens, and she asked them for their names for addressing them formally in the future.

"I'm Yané," said the youngest one.

"Call me Saché. You may already have known me through Sabé Pelare as her cousin," Saché said.

"I'm pleased to meet you nonetheless," Padmé responded.

The other two handmaidens introduced themselves as Rabé and Dormé, both members of the Eccio house, a minor noble family within the Nubian Force user society. Their family was responsible for protecting the Kereires Temple grounds, the hub of the secret Nubian Force user society.

"Welcome to the journey, my new handmaidens... and friends," said Padmé, winking at her cloaked friends in handmaiden attire.

"There will be difficulty and sorrow, yet reward and sisterhood will abide. This may be a trying task, my sisters in duty, but we are bestowed with an honor that few have. We have a responsibility focused on love and service for our nation... Your sole task is to protect the soon-to-rule monarch, me, so I can safely guide Naboo's people and bring peace and prosperity. Now serve with your hearts, minds, and bodies for the greater good of Naboo," continued Padmé in her confident royal voice to her appointed handmaidens.

"May it be, _kas'ek pilana,_ " said the six handmaidens to the Princess and future Queen, as they faced the dark, mysterious future.


	6. Disturbance

**A.N: Hologram communications will use [] from now on. Also, I will put some extra backstory for Watto's new life at Naboo, just for your understanding of what is going on with his freeing of Anakin and Shmi.  
**

 **Note: muezze conflaga means combat school in my Old Nubian. _  
_**

 _King's Quarters of Theed Royal Palace: Nighttime  
_

Later in the day, King Veruna noticed that Padmé had received her security staff, thus increasing the difficulty of assassinating her tenfold. He muttered a string of Nubian profanities as he paced back and forth within his room, wondering about exterminating the Naberries and thinking about his career as monarch of Naboo. Everything that he had accomplished during his career besides his good reputation, including a strong military force, was at risk of being overturned by his soon-to-be successor and current rival, Princess Padmé Naberrie. He could not afford any failures in his attempt, as swift attacks could leave less suspects and yield more time to cover up his tracks. He was also in debt to Palpatine, who endorsed his actions under the premise of his earlier successes in his two terms, as his endorsement boosted his approval rating and lower the troublesome Naberrie-led protests. Such glorious adoration by the people and holding of power were two things that the psychopath, power-hungry ruler could not give up. Reverting to a vulnerable orphan was the last identity that Veruna desired to assume. On a positive note, Veruna was inwardly pleased that the Nubian radicals had sent hitmen to him for guidance on the assassination.

"Pathetic bitch, you are unworthy to hold the title of Naboo's queen or ruler, a disgrace to the noble bloodlines which have become complacent and stagnant," cursed Veruna, his long-fingered hands clenching his gold-plated, twin-bladed lightsaber.

"I will squish you like a Nubian roach... Feel my seething wrath..." gloated Veruna before an interruption sounded from his door.

The door to his quarters sounded with thumps. Veruna inward cursed himself for ranting so close to his political rival and successor, but remembered to shield his Force presence and conceal his lightsaber in his robe. Losing his cover would be disastrous to his plans. Padmé, confused by the sudden surge of anger from behind the door, attempted to communicate with the monarch.

"King Veruna, is there anything astray?" Padmé asked her superior. An infuriated King Veruna opened his bedroom door to find Princess Padmé and her handmaidens standing outside, expecting a meeting with the monarch.

"Nothing astray, Princess. I feel that a discussion about the Trade Federation is an important issue in our hands now," said Veruna.

"Generally, we must cope with Viceroy Nute Gunray's outrageous trade deals that tax our exports without consent, and outsourcing our manufactured goods to cause job losses," added King Veruna, as he would face another tiresome argument with his princess over negotiations with the interstellar trading power.

The conversation, to the surprise of King Veruna, went without major disagreements. He and Padmé began to share common beliefs about handling issues between Naboo and the Trade Federation. They had agreed on cutting ties with the Trade Federation and using military force as a last resort of defense if a Trade Federation attack occurred on Naboo. Both royals realized that they had to ignore political differences to protect their people, as the issue was a responsibility based on the security of Naboo. Veruna finished the discussion, and found some interest in the ideals of Padmé the Princess of Theed. Despite his inability to admit that Padmé had the potential of being a great leader as Queen of Naboo, Veruna still agreed with Padmé on the protection of the Naboo people. The conversation concluded after a half standard hour, and the Princess of Theed departed the room with her handmaidens to finish a revision on Theed welfare laws. Still, the Princess had to be killed.

As soon as the door closed, Veruna smirked in anticipation of his assassination plot against the Naberries, and his accomplice Palpatine demanded that the assassination be carried out quickly. He decided to carry out the assassination with the Nubian "Natelistes" in Kaadara, a prominent beach resort city and deathstick importer. It was little surprise that the King himself allowed deathstick imports despite publicly opposing drug trafficking. After all, most politicians in the current Galactic Republic put personal agendas over convictions of right and wrong, as the Senate itself was corrupt with cheaters and hypocrites. The Nubian monarch stood up from his bed and paced out of his through the corridors of the royal palace, and called for his new handmaiden Cordé Ragen along the way. Veruna slightly missed his old handmaiden for her reliable attendance, but appreciated the silent personality of his new handmaiden.

"Where to, Your Majesty?"

"The Communication Hub, it's below the palace floors," said Veruna, his eyes on a nearby wall with a tapestry of the ancient Naboo King Jafan the Third hanging upon it.

Upon reaching the tapestry, Veruna lifted the cloth and pressed a small indent in the wall, and heard an hum of machinery below them. The floor behind them opened up to reveal a stairway down towards a turbolift within a dimly illuminated room. Veruna motioned for his handmaiden to follow, and reached the console. He raised his hand to close the stairway and floor above them with the Force, and unknowingly drew the attention of his handmaiden, who had a distant ancestry of Force-users.

"Something doesn't feel right with the king. Looks like he's hiding something in his mind," Cordé thought, despite her inability to act on her Force senses under the watch of King Veruna.

The turbolift descended with Veruna and his handmaiden, the darkness appearing as if it was concealing secrets of the egotistical and moody monarch. Veruna felt relaxed inside the lift as the result of a few moments of solitude from prying eyes, and he could initiate the assassination of the Naberries. Beside the robed King of Naboo, his handmaiden peered at his expression and spotted a sinister grin, but could not read his thoughts from strong mental shielding. Finally, he could wield the power of King indefinitely without obstacles and be revered as the hero of Naboo with his purge of the Trade Federation from Naboo. The halt of the turbolift and the beep of the floor indicator interrupted the thoughts of Veruna, and he swiftly paced out of the lift into a room filled with automated computers and communication equipment. The hum of electronics could be heard throughout the room, droning out all other noise.

Veruna called for the Communications Officer, who scurried up to the tall, imposing figure of the monarch. The expression that Veruna wore communicated an urgency to speak with an important associate, and the officer and the other crew members knelt before the King and his handmaiden. In the background, hundreds of workers and droids maintained the major servers of the entire planet of Naboo.

"The Theed communications crew at your service, King Veruna."

"Excellent, now prepare me an encrypted channel with Naboo's Ambassador: Cosinga Palpatine. I want to find the hologram communication hub," said Veruna.

The officer immediately stood up and led the King of Naboo past massive computers and maintenance droids, then to a circular room. Duracrete covered all the walls and ceiling. Ornate flower patterns were engraved on the ceiling, and the numerous holo-projectors rested on the ground, their standby lights blinking orange. All of the visual elements of stability and aesthetics testified to the emerging power of the backwater planet Naboo under the rule of the ambitious and somewhat deranged King Veruna. With held breath, the officer pressed a few icons the menu screen and the hologram of Palpatine immediately flickered bright before their sight. Veruna motioned for the officer to leave him, and gestured for his handmaiden, Cordé, to guard the entrance to the hologram communicator hub.

"This will be a glorious day indeed, when I purge Naboo of its scum and attain my place as the star-destined ruler of Naboo... indefinitely," spoke Veruna with glee.

To his surprise, Veruna saw the hologram of Palpatine step aside to reveal two of his spies: Naboo Espionage Agents 4K and 4J, who had returned from another spying session on the Naberries. Luckily, their mind shield helmets and Force signature dampener suits had enabled them to escape detection by the senses of Ruwee, Jobal, and their daughters. As the spies bowed before King Veruna, they notified him of their information.

[ _Your Majesty, we have found out that the Naberries plan on visiting their relatives in Kaadara. They will depart around the beginning of the days off for the Princess, Padmé Naberrie, and the window presents a suitable time window._ ] said the agents shown by the hologram.

[ _Fantastic news, my trustworthy agents. We shall move to take swift and precise actions down to the word. My hired reinforcements, or the notorious Jango Fett's hitmen, will arrive at Kaadara soon._ ] Veruna spoke.

[ _What shall the hitmen do, Your Majesty?_ ] asked one agent.

[ _Leave the instructions to me, agents. You both have played your role well. And now, continue your regular tasks._ ] spoke Veruna in a lower tone with his face illuminated by the blue light of the hologram plate below it.

Upon the instruction of the King of Naboo, the agents departed off the hologram screen. Then the image of his accomplice, Naboo Ambassador Cosinga Palpatine, stepped into view. Veruna gulped his saliva down as he attempted to straighten up in a formal pose, and fixed his stare at the screen.

[ _Interesting developments here, Your Majesty. You choice has been quite well-informed and thought out, and I am considering to have my contact in the Intergalactic Banking Clan lend you twenty million credits for this, as he is also very pleased._ ] Palpatine said, as he laid back in his office chair and held his hands together in a clapping motion.

[ _Yes, the preparations are underway, Palpatine. The hitmen should be taking up positions along the Kaadara route near the beach city, and the speeder of the disgusting Naberrie swine is being sabotaged. All of the previous activities as I have described should be transpiring while I speak._ ] said Veruna with the pleasure soaking in his tone.

Palpatine chuckled with shared pleasure, as his plan of the galactic domination by the dormant Sith Order was progressing forward. He thought of the reliability of his pawn: the King of Naboo was unknowingly helping Palpatine rid himself of a political rival and future threat. After a few moments of stroking his chin, Palpatine revealed his decision to allot the massive sum of credits to King Veruna.

[ _Alright, you shall receive the twenty million credits, Your Majesty._ ] heard Veruna over the hologram speaker.

The middle-aged Nubian monarch nodded with the same sinister smile, and Palpatine said a farewell to his egomaniac of a pawn.

 _Naberrie Street, Theed: (11 p.m equivalent)  
_

The moons of Naboo shone like silvery mirrors up in the black sky above Theed. In front of one of the lavish marble dwellings, a young woman in an orange dress and purple cloak stood besides a speeder while holding a metallic object in her cold hands. Dormé stood outside in the street under the stone arch by the Naberrie villa, and clutched a lightsaber in her hand, a gift from her parents within the Rieren Force-user society of Naboo, which was sometimes referred to as the Kerieres of Nubia. The young handmaiden could only hope that her lightsaber training and blaster marksmanship was satisfactory for protecting the Naberries. She pivoted her head left then right, just to see a Toydarian fly nearby.

"Who are you?" Dormé asked, her eyes narrowing in a steely gaze on the blue, pudgy alien.

"Aye, where are your manners? The name's Watto," spoke the alien in annoyance, his arms crossed over his banker suit as his wings fluttered rapidly.

"My bad, sir. I'm Dormé. Good to know that you don't mean any harm. Well, how did you end up here on Naberrie Street?"

Watto shrugged his shoulders, and told the handmaiden that his story was complicated.

"I was a soldier on Toydaria, but got a damn injury few years, uh, back. Then I made some living selling junk with my slaves Anakin and some woman named Shmi. Eh, the Tatooian economy didn't go so good in the past few years, so I couldn't afford to buy more junk to sell and barter. So I freed them from a bribe that some hooded man gave me one night... His name was Cosinga, I think, and he transferred two million credits to me. So I became a banker here at Naboo, and I enjoy it very much." said Watto.

"Interesting for a Toydarian. Well, I'm just the villa maid for the Naberrie House in Theed. Nice talking with you, er, Watto," responded Dormé, shaking hands with the ambitious banker.

"Ah, see ya later . what the bantha crap-"

 _Zap!_

A bluish electric bolt from a stun blaster hit the hapless Toydarian in the chest just as he turned his head to face a suited figure, and he plopped onto the cold stone tiles of the Theed street. The bluish, grumpy alien was passed out, and he laid on the stony surface below. Dormé felt her Force senses scream for her to take action to protect the villa, especially the sleeping Naberries. She noticed three metal suited human figures jump from the roofs and arch near her, and the stun blaster sniper switch to a silenced magnetic rifle. Despite the appearance of the Nubian drug cartel tattoo on their necks, the figures were not typical Nubian gang members, but actually trained saboteurs and fighters. Dormé quickly removed her cloak to allow for greater freedom of movement in the upcoming fight with her unknown antagonists.

Dormé considered taking out the sniper first, but was kicked in the back by one of the figures to cause a distraction for her. Dormé quickly used the momentum imparted by the kick to roll over under the arch and stand back up. She did an acrobatic flip to one side as the figures fired stun bolts. Desperate, Dormé fired her silenced S-5 blaster pistol at the figures a few times.

 _Pew, Pew, Pew!_

Each figure took one hit, but the plasma blasts simply deflected off into the walls around her. Dormé cursed under her breath as she barely dodged a osmium bullet pulverize the cobble stones next to her feet. Soon the figures caught up to her, but Dormé did a roundhouse kick along their chestplates to knock them backward. However, one of the figures swiftly slid on the damp stones under her feet and tripped her, forcing her to drop the blaster. The handmaiden rolled out of the way before the other two figures could trap her, and with her "battle face", ignited her silver lightsaber, its blade glowing purple in the dark. A voorpak chortled in the distance as the handmaiden confronted the four highly trained agents sent by Veruna himself.

"I have no idea what you three psycho poodoos are doing here, but you are all not invited to this party," Dormé coldly said, as the moonlight illuminating her robes and slender figure.

"Looks like we'll force the invite," the figure spoke in a synthesized voice.

"Well come right inside, boys. Let's go on a date called _muezze conflaga_!" challenged Dormé, moving her fingers on her outstretched hand back and forth. The battle had just begun.

The taller figure sprinted at her with its hands glowing a bright white. Dormé realized that his hands were handheld shields that were lightsaber-proof, which greatly complicated the fight. Soon Dormé and the figure were exchanging blows and doing dodges and twists to avoid powerful punches and lightsaber slashes. The other three figures stood in awe at the moonlit brawl between Royal Handmaiden and Nubian agent. After a few minutes, Dormé broke the stalemate by stabbing her lightsaber forward and kicked the man in the crotch.

The figure fell to the ground with a grunt, and Dormé plunged her lightsaber into a chink in the armor before the energized gloves could burn her. Steam rose from the wound that the lightsaber made, alerting the other agents to backup their dead comrade. Dormé, with mild burns on her body, got up to face the assailants, yet failed to notice a supersonic tranquilizer dart until it embedded itself in her thigh. With a sigh, Dormé collapsed onto the ground in a sleep-like state, giving the agent satisfaction in his shot. For a few seconds, the agent bowed to the defeated handmaiden as an acknowledgement to her combat skills. The sniper on top the roof across from the Naberrie villa had reloaded his coil rifle barely in time to disable the handmaiden. He knew that a dead handmaiden would attract too much suspicion if her corpse was found.

"Agent 4B, dispose of the agent's body, Toydarian, and handmaiden in our transport. Agent 4C, implant the sabotage device into the speeder, the mission must be successful for His Majesty," said the Head Agent.

"Yes sir," the agents said, and proceeded to their separate tasks.

The mission proceeded quickly without the handmaiden to guard the speeder. Surprisingly, the Naberries were still in deep sleep despite the noise of the brawl. With a press of his remote, Agent 4C activated the device on the speeder power regulator activated and cloaked itself. With the mission complete, the agents placed Dormé in an awkward position and ruffled her hair. They also scattered her weapons and Republic credits on the ground to stage a raid by the sparse street gangs of Theed. In contrast, Watto was placed by an apartment five kilometers away to avoid suspicion around the scene of the attack and sabotage. Finally, the agent was incinerated with a thermal grenade in the outskirts of Theed to hide evidence of the agents.

With satisfaction and relief about their completed mission, the agents sped back to the palace in their airspeeder, and would not face a demotion by King Veruna.

 _King's Quarters of Theed Royal Palace: Nighttime_

Veruna looked at his communicator, and quietly cackled at the message of success from his agents. He felt overjoyed that the second phase of his plan of vengeance on the Naberries was complete without much difficulty. With a happy heart, and a psychopath mind as usual, King Veruna went to sleep in his comfy bed, anticipating a successful attempt on the Naberries the next afternoon. A few rooms away from Veruna, Royal Handmaiden Cordé laid in her bed asleep and stirred uncomfortably as she sensed a disturbance in the Force...

 **A.N: That was my first fight scene (** **Dormé's fight with the agents), so just tell me how I did. I would like to learn more about writing them.**


	7. Conflict I

**Reference: "Slug-throwers" are simply projectile weapons like guns, but are rarer than blasters because of ammo costs. They are mostly EU Star Wars content.**

 _Royal Palace, Theed, Naboo_

After his successful sabotage during the previous night, Veruna awoke the next day and rubbed his eyes while leaving his bed to dress. He recalled the dance he had secretly done after receiving the news of his success of the sabotage. In addition, Veruna saw his agents as adequate for the task, as their skills ensured the defeat of a Force-sensitive royal handmaiden. Now all Veruna needed to guarantee was that the hitmen were in position in Kaadara. King Veruna, from experience in his Rieren Society training, knew that "slug throwers" were the standard of hunters of Force-sensitives. The sonic velocities of the bullets made the weapons deadly against Force-sensitives. King Ars Veruna opened his wardrobe and called for a droid to assist him in placing his elaborate robes on him.

"RSD-1 at your service, Your Majesty," the droid stoically spoke.

"Dress me up in my robes, RSD-1," Veruna said, facing the mirror in front of him and gazing at his muscular figure.

The routines of physical exercises in his gym room had given impressive results for Veruna, who was once a frail child. Soon, if the Naberries did confront him, he would have his House Veruna confront the Naberries with a full arsenal of weapons to eliminate them quickly before his plans were leaked. Even athletic training helped the endurance of his fellow House Veruna members in any confrontation. But Veruna stopped his stream of thought when he had realized that the Princess had departed the Palace with her five remaining handmaidens for her brief vacation. Action had to be swiftly taken about the Princess, as his efforts and accomplishments as King were endangered. Veruna soon got fully dressed by his handy servant droid RSD-1, and he picked up a communicator from his bedside table to communicate with both agents and hitmen.

"Team Alpha-Colo-Claw, are the mines in place?" spoke Veruna into his comlink device.

The agent responded, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Good. I want all the snipers, all twelve of them to take positions on the route towards Kaadara, and four at the Naberrie Lake Retreat. Next, the mines should be primed, and the device in the Naberrie speeder active for detonation," said Veruna.

Veruna heard a knock on the door and silently complained in Old Nubian, and notified his agents to wait for further communication. He told the visitor at his door to enter his room.

"Come in visitor," said Veruna, quickly concealing his comlink.

"Your Majesty, it's Cordé," the voice spoke. Then the door opened to reveal the trusty handmaiden serving the egomaniac King of Naboo with a cup of tea on a tray.

"Thanks for the tea, handmaiden Cordé," gently spoke Veruna. The athletic man took a sip of his caf drink and reveled in the taste of Nubian cocoa beans, and unknowingly exposed his muscular arm. Cordé stared at the arm for a few seconds and was reminded of her crush serving in the Naboo Defense Forces. She felt a tingling sensation in her body, but quickly suppressed her hormonal instincts for the handsome man. Veruna looked over at his handmaiden and gave a puzzled look as to the cause of her blushed cheeks.

"What the-" muttered Veruna in a surprised manner.

"Your Majesty! Uh... It's quite a cold day, so I just need to go get my blood circulation flowing in the gym," quickly responded the seventeen-year-old brunette handmaiden, as she looked down to hide her blush and quickly paced out of the royal bedroom.

The puzzled monarch scratched his balding blonde hair out of confusion for his handmaiden. The thought of a young Nubian woman ten years younger than him having an crush on him made him uncomfortable. Nevertheless, the monarch felt a greater necessity to focus on his devious scheme for the Naberries rather than a simple infatuation from a young woman. Veruna suppressed his shock and surprise and strode out of his room to call for his other handmaiden, Elia Rekan, the mother of Ellé, the future heiress of the Rekan House.

Unlike most of his handmaidens, Elia was a stand-in handmaiden or a temporary recruit until another suitable candidate for a handmaiden was found. Also, Elia had some degree of Force-sensitivity, a required trait for at least a quarter of all handmaidens by new security laws. Force-sensitives were known by the Naboo public to have faster reactions and occasional foresight, which helped some handmaidens protect the royalty of Naboo. Meanwhile, fear and unrest struck at the Naberrie villa in Theed.

 _Naberrie Villa, Theed, Naboo_

"Mister Naberrie, come help! Handmaiden Dormé has been attacked and robbed by street thugs! Her legs have been broken!" called Eirtaé. Sabé sat next to the side of the fallen handmaiden.

Dormé let out a faint groan as she was carried by Ruwee inside the villa. Sabé, with her friend Eirtaé, instinctively left to check the Naberrie speeder for suspicious devices. With gentle grip, Ruwee held Dormé above the wooden table as Jobal placed a towel on top of the table to soak up blood from the leg wounds and burns. Jobal looked at the wounded handmaiden with remorse. The young woman had sacrificed a normal life and her safety to protect someone who she barely knew for the sake of her duty. The moans of pain of Dormé, as Jobal sprayed disinfectant on the compound fractures on the legs of the handmaiden, stirred pity within Ruwee. Ruwee knelt at the side of the handmaiden and injected painkillers as Jobal placed her hands on the broken legs to heal Dormé.

Dormé groggily awoke to see Ruwee and Jobal staring down at her broken figure, with Jobal placing her hands on the fractures of her leg bones.

"What... where..." mumbled Dormé.

Jobal concentrated on the energy tendrils of the Force flowing through Dormé. She imposed her will onto the Force energies to coax the midi-chlorians to stimulate cell growth along the bone fractures and flesh tears. With a crack, broken bones mended and burnt flesh healed. The handmaiden was now healed, but needed to rest for recovery. Jobal also needed rest from the intense efforts of healing two broken legs, a feat she had not done for years in the Rieren Society, and spoke a Nubian blessing to the handmaiden.

Dormé spoke despite her wounded state, "The attackers... someone sent them... well trained with dealing with Force us-"

"Rest, brave handmaiden. Save your energy for the next opportunity," Ruwee silently spoke.

"I've healed your legs, Dormé. Now I should likely get a medical transport here, so just stay put until the medics come," Jobal said with motherly concern as she put her hand on Dormé to check her body temperature. She soon left for the kitchen to prepare a snack for her daughters and a cup of tea for the wounded handmaiden. Jobal left for her bedroom to take a nap, as she had just treated widespread injuries on the fallen handmaiden with her Force healing.

"Something bigger than this is going on within Naboo, yet I can't seem to make sense of it," commented Ruwee as he looked at the passed out handmaiden.

"I have that same hunch through the Force, Ru," said Jobal in agreement.

"What is this?" muttered Ruwee as he picked off a broken comlink that was grasped in the right hand of Dormé.

Ruwee opened his mouth in surprise as he realized that the the comlink was the type used by Naboo Royal Guards. Ruwee sneered at the defective comlink. Whoever had called for an attack on the Naberrie family and a handmaiden, as Dormé earlier hinted to, would pay with their reputation and employment in the Royal Government of Naboo. The approaching sound of footsteps prompted Ruwee to turn his head to see his younger daughter Padmé walk into the living room.

"Dad, what happened to my handmaiden Dormé?" asked Padmé.

"She was attacked by some mercenary thugs for money, probably hired by someone within the Naboo government, which was corrupt to begin with. They broke her legs last night so she couldn't tell witnesses about their raid," Ruwee said bitterly as he applied bacta patches on the burns upon Dormé.

"Perhaps my rival, King Veruna, could have something to do with this attack, but what benefit would he acquire? Just street credits... what were they after? Probably us?" Padmé questioned with a pensive expression, and shrugged at the mystery of the situation she currently faced. She was now a targeted political figure at sixteen years of age, and one of her bodyguards had been attacked for little more than money and possessions.

Her father nodded in agreement, as he patiently listened to his daughter speak to make a reasonable decision.

"Based on this situation, I'll have to conceal myself in the Lake Country instead of Kaadara for my off-time. I just feel ashamed that I'm the cause that my friends are suffering needlessly like this. Someday, when I return to politics after my hiatus in our villa, I will ensure with all my efforts that this will not happen to my family, citizens, slaves, or children alike. For now, I must stay alive for the sake of Naboo and even the Republic," added Padmé, the determination evident in her tone.

"I am uncomfortable with the risky lifestyle you have, Padmé, but I will always help you through this journey as your father. Now I also recommend that your friends accompany you to protect you, as they are your sworn bodyguards too," said Ruwee.

"Yes, Dad, I understand," Padmé said, nodding her head slowly. Ruwee then took Dormé, now asleep, into the guest bedroom of the Naberrie villa.

"Milady, the speeder was checked and no sabotage devices were found," Sabé said as she entered the living room with Eirtaé.

"Then the speeder will be used to transport us the secluded retreat my family has owned for generations," Padmé spoke, standing up to face her friends.

"Understood, milady," Sabé and Eirtaé said with an arm salute.

Padmé sighed. "Sabé, Eirtaé, although you are my trusted bodyguards, just call me by my real name in private. I must remind you both that I'm your childhood _friend_ ," said Padmé.

"Alright, Padmé," responded Sabé and Eirtaé with a faint smile.

"Good. Let's call for backup, as we should be well prepared for such attacks by either agents, gangs, or other threats," Padmé commanded, her robed figure appearing as that of a young woman with wisdom and authority beyond her years.

Sabé reached into her utility belt and pulled out a comlink. She pressed the activator button and spoke, "Anyone there?"

"What is your authentication code?" a voice asked.

"Claws of the Shiro," Sabé said.

"The authentication code looks valid, continue your message," the voice responded.

"This is handmaiden Sabé of the Princess of Naboo. We require additional protection along the journey to our destination," requested Sabé.

"Acknowledged, handmaiden. The remainder of her Highness's handmaidens will arrive with an escort," she heard over the communicator.

The link closed, leaving Sabé to turn to her best friend and Princess of Naboo to tell her of the request for more security detail.

"The reinforcements for your security are on the route, Padmé," she calmly reported.

"Thanks, Sabé. And Eirtaé, please watch Dormé for me," said Padmé.

"Yes, Princess Padmé," Eirtaé responded, and went to check the condition of Dormé in the guest bedroom.

 _Naberrie Lake Estate, Lake Country, Naboo_

As she sat Next to Darred Janren, Sola meditated with crossed legs. The Force flowed through the planet of Naboo with maximum vigor around Varykino lake, thus creating a perfect ground for any Force meditation. Suddenly, their Force senses urged them to exit their meditative trance. Sola looked around the Varykino Lake Retreat grounds with her gaze, and spotted four distant shimmers in the tress, as if the air were rippling water. Sola, with held breath, looked at Darred and sent a brief message through the Force to his mind.

" _Someone's here in a cloaking suit, Darred. I have a bad feeling about this,_ " Sola said through the Force link, as her Force senses screamed danger.

" _I feel multiple persons here, Sola. We should act normal, my love, since I'm certain that they are watching us,_ " responded Darred, who returned his gaze to Sola.

The two tried to relaxed their face expressions because they knew that they were being observed by Naboo Government Agents. Darred and Sola looked at each other, their gaze lost in their deep brown eyes, and their gazes clearly communicated their feelings. They committed themselves to each other despite occasional debates between them. Whatever hardship came, such as Naboo government agents, would not change that fact. They laid their heads together, and touched foreheads while still gazing at each other.

" _Let's act as if we're only two Nubians in love, Sola_ ," said Darred through his Force connection, putting his right hand on Sola.

" _You drive me insane, Janren. Now is not an appropriate time for intimate acts_ ," protested Sola despite an urge to express her love to Darred.

He only responded by stroking Sola on the arms with his leathery hands, and softly touched lips with those of Sola. Sola hummed in delight as she reveled in the the slow, passionate kiss for a moment.

"Actually, you drive me, a well-educated noble of an architect, insane," he said with a sly smile.

Sola chuckled and kissed him. But to notify her sister of the agents, Sola managed to send a warning through the Force to her sister despite being intimate with Darred.

" _They are over here_ ," she messaged.

Meanwhile, the agents looked at one another and nodded in agreement about handling the attention of their two targets in the garden below. One of the agents raised a blow-dart gun to Sola and the other one aimed at Darred...

 _Naberrie Villa, Theed, Naboo_

As she sat in the kitchen, Padmé raised her eyebrows in surprise as she heard the words of her sister from the Naberrie lake retreat, and reconsidered traveling to the retreat. Sabé placed her cup of Nubian mocha down and looked at her friend with worry. Something bothered her friend, and the Force shimmered with indigo, the color of fear. From the perspective of Padmé, she felt scared of losing her sister at a young age to the agents who attacked Dormé. Yet the Force still guided Padmé to a realization that the trip to Kaadara would certainly kill her, as the tendrils of the Force entangled themselves along the glimpses of the Nubian beach city. Her gift of shatterpoint would save her this time during its first usage.

Sabé asked her friend, "What's going on, Padmé? You seem worried about something."

"It's my sister, she's in danger from those corrupt agents. I cannot let those attackers and thugs harm my older sister or myself for the sake of Naboo. Action must be taken. I did not go through years of taunts and insults in the academy for a tragic ending of my family's noble legacies," said Padmé.

"For sure, Padmé. I trust that you can handle this easily, as a strong independent person. But watch out for voorpaks stealing your food," Sabé responded with a grin.

"Oh, you mischievous trickster," playfully scolded Padmé.

"Eirtaé! We are going when the transport arrives," she quickly told her friend and loyal handmaiden.

Eirtaé said, "Yes, Padmé." and exited the guest bedroom.

Within a few minutes, the medical transport arrived to take Dormé to the Theed Medical Center. Ruwee and Jobal greeted the medics as they walked to the guest bedroom to put her in a stretcher and place her in the medical transport. While the transport hovered away, Ruwee saluted the recovering handmaiden. Jobal, who stood beside Ruwee, watched the transport speed towards the medical center. After the transport departed, Yané Tristus and Rabé Eccio arrived as the extra guards of Padmé . Unfortunately, Dormé was incapacitated, Saché was training, and Cordé was serving her final month of service with Veruna.

"We are ready for service and protection for you, milady," said Rabé, and Yané quickly bowed before the Princess.

Padmé responded, "Nice to see you both without a scratch. Now, about Dormé, she was unfortunately injured in the line of duty. She has paid a sacrifice to keep my family safe and the future Queen safe. Yet thanks to her, we can proceed with our first mission. Currently, we must go to the Lake Retreat and keep a low profile for some time to wait out the agents."

"Understood milady," Rabé and Yané acknowledged.

A squad of ten royal guards entered the villa to protect the Princess of Naboo and give support to her handmaidens. One officer urged, "Princess, the city is not safe! We all must go to a safer location!"

Padmé nodded in agreement, and signaled her handmaidens to follow her. Her parents, Ruwee and Jobal, followed their daughter out of concern for her safety and well-being. At that moment, her life and the lives of her friends and family stood at stake.

During the speeder ride out of Theed, Padmé found little trouble along the route. No agents along the path were spotted. Yet, the undetected sabotage device blinked faster and faster within the depths of the speeder components. Ruwee felt a humming reverberate throughout the speeder, and his eyes narrowed. Something was wrong with the engine, since it had not had maintenance checks for years.

In his apartment, Anakin felt a anomaly in the Force akin to a unusual calm before a storm. Suddenly, The Force shone a vision. Anakin saw flashes of a bomb inside a speeder, and a familiar brunette girl lying dead on the side of a dirt road next to the wreckage: Padmé. His heart froze from his paralyzing fear. With all of his Force potential, Anakin spoke a warning to Padmé through the Force connection with her.

" _Padmé! The speeder has a bomb that was cloaked earlier! That's why the speeder seemed safe!_ " warned Anakin with a desperate voice in the mental link.

Padmé opened her eyes in shock and cussed, "Rancor shit! Dad, Mom, everyone else, abandon the transport!"

Ruwee soon realized along with Jobal that the speeder had been well sabotaged, and slammed open the doors to jump out the speeder. Padmé and her handmaidens soon escaped their doomed ride to the retreat. The speeder sped off and approached the lake retreat, spewing a stream of smoke from its engine.

 _Boom!_

With a loud roar, the speeder exploded in a fireball about one-hundred meters from the Varykino villa, and the shock wave propelled the Naberries into the rocky side of the mountain. The handmaidens and Princess Padmé barely held their ground as they attempted to stand up from aid by the Force. As they came to a better sense of the situation around them, Padmé saw her father lying in a daze and her mother struggling to stand up.

"Padmé, get your lightsaber!" yelled Jobal.

"Dad!" Padmé cried with watery eyes.

"Padmé, my daughter, I'm okay. I can hold out for a while. Now get ready, little Padmé, and show your _patake_ how well he taught you the way of the Force," said Ruwee with a bloody gash on his forehead and bruises on his ribs.

Jobal told her daughter, "Listen to your father, my little Padmé. You must fight and show them that we Naberries are stronger than we appear."

"Yes, Mother," Padmé said.

Shutting her eyes and wiping her tears, Padmé regained her steel composure of a strong Nubian warrior noble. Her ancestry and young age did not matter in the heat of crisis, but her actions did. In the moment she could either save her family and friends, or she could fail terribly.

She reached into her robes and grasped her chrome lightsaber, a century old artifact of the Naberrie bloodline, ready for action. She pulled out the weapon with the Force, and went into the Soresu stance. Besides Padmé, her handmaidens also activated their lightsabers and entered into the Ataru stance. Soon the agents soon unleashed a barrage of blaster bolts, and the handmaidens deflected the bolts with their lightsabers.

 _Naberrie Lake Estate, Lake Country, Naboo_

Darred held his left hand up to halt a metal dart hovering centimeters from Sola. With a sneer, he closed his fingers and crushed the dart with the Force.

"Not so fast, guys," taunted Darred.

Sola immediately realized that the agents were attempting to capture them, and eradicate the rest of the Naberrie House. Without hesitation, she decided to fight for her family and her boyfriend. Quickly, Sola jumped away from Darred to ignite her magenta lightsaber. To balance the upcoming battle, she decided to make a ball of kinetic plasma with the Force to short circuit the cloaked suits of the agents. Sizzling energy crackled between her curved hands, and it flew in a lump towards the nearest agents.

The ball of energy struck all the suits and the agents appeared visible. All of them were completely exposed to attack by the furious Naberrie heiress and Janren heir.

"Darred," Sola called out.

"Yes, love?" answered Darred, igniting his orange lightsaber.

"Let's present our guests with a Naberrie welcome," said Sola with her lightsaber in the Soresu lightsaber stance.

"Get the Naberrie! Eliminate the man!" growled the commander with a sneer.

Sola whirled her lightsaber with graceful sweeps to deflect each of the blaster bolts back at the agents. However, no effect seemed visible on the agents as the blaster bolts deflected off their suits. However, one agent was clumsy and lost his hand from a slash of the magenta lightsaber. Darred with his Shien form, slashed at a nearby agent, who dodged the strike and roundhouse kicked him in the chest.

With a grunt of pain, Darred fell backward into a marble statue, and he toppled over with the shattered stone pieces. With cuts on his back, he rolled out of the way as the agent cut at him with a poisoned dagger. Darred swiftly regained his form of Shien, and he parried and slashed at the agent, who was on the defensive as he blocked the magenta blade with his shielded glove. Then the agent improvised his attack, and he drove Darred back by slashing with his dagger. Now Darred had wounds on himself and not upon the agent, a humiliation for the proud Janren warrior. As the agent raced to Darred with a stabbing motion of his dagger, Darren Janren Force flung the agent into a boulder by the garden, crushing his ribs. Unable to move from his broken bones, the agent could only watch as his end came.

Darred, who blazed with adrenaline, whirled in a corkscrew with his lightsaber and stabbed the agent in the chest. The suited man immediately perished, and his dagger clanged on the ground.

Meanwhile, Sola had trouble pressing an offensive with her blade, as the agents had decent training for dodging lightsaber slashes. Soon the agents switched tactics and used unorthodox weapons. The trio of agents shot at her with slug throwers as she dove behind a stone column, the stone shards flying from the impact of the lead bullets. But Sola failed to notice the commander take out a thermal detonator and toss it behind the column. When Sola heard the beep, she Force jumped on the roof, but to no avail.

 _Bang!_

The explosion pulverized a wall of the Naberrie estate and sprayed Sola with sharp shards of rock. A few fragments impaled themselves in her legs and she collapsed on the roof, then tumbling down onto the stone tiles. She knew she had been trapped, as the agents ran towards her with Force cuffs. But Sola had one trick that Sabé had taught her: she screamed a false call for help.

"Help, handmaidens!" screamed Sola to the side, distracting the three agents.

Sola immediately levitated the shards of debris, and hurled them toward the suited agents. Some of the pieces impaled themselves in the chests of two agents, who fell dead on the floor. The other agent, or the commander, resorted to desperate measures and quickly took out his slug thrower pistol and then shot Sola in the hand. Sola screamed in excruciating pain as she felt her hand bones splinter, and she dropped her lightsaber beside herself.

"Sola!" yelled Darred as he Force levitated the commander to Force smash him into a stone pot.

 _Crash!_

The commander groaned in pain as he felt his spine crack from the brutal force of the telekinetic push, and gazed through his visor at the enraged Nubian man standing above him. The commander soon met that same fate as his comrade: a stab from the orange lightsaber into his chest. Darren looked over the dead body, and reluctantly bowed to respect the fallen warrior for combat etiquette. Sola moaned in pain as she clutched her wounded right hand with her left hand. Instantly, Darred rushed to Sola and tenderly held her wounded hand and gently caressed her flowing brown hair.

"Darred, get the medics... help my sister," grunted Sola as she lay on the ground. Regrettably, she was unable to even walk in her current condition, or even assist in the conflict with the aggressors against the Princess of Naboo.

"Try not to move, Sola. Lay still while I heal you," reassured Darred, reaching into his pocket for bacta pads to place on the bleeding cuts along her body. Then he attempted to heal her legs, and he removed the fragments with the Force. Darred managed to partly heal the wounds, but could not heal her broken hand, as Jobal had greater experience as a Force healer.

He kissed Sola on the cheek before sprinting to the distant battle between the Naberries, handmaidens, and agents. Darred glanced back at his girlfriend and felt an ache in his heart, since he was unable to assist his dearest.

 **A.N: The fight will continue in the next chapter, as this one is getting relatively long.**


	8. Conflict II

**A.N: I just discovered that the term for the Naboo people is actually "Nabooian", not "Nubian" (Nubia is its own Star Wars planet). From this chapter onward, I will use this term to refer to any native of Naboo.**

 **Note: Again, this is a continuation of the fight in the last chapter, and another scene of a malicious King Veruna.**

 _Naberrie Lake Estate, Lake Country, Naboo_

Sola laid still on the debris covered garden floor, watching her beloved Darred sprint towards her sister and handmaidens Sabé, Eirtaé, Yané, and Rabé. The Naberrie girl looked at her boyfriend one last time with a longing gaze and fainted from the shock of her hand injury. Then, an unexpected visitor rushed into the estate garden, stepping around the fallen pieces of shattered stone. The blonde, middle aged Naboo male knelt down by Sola and felt her neck for a pulse. Her heartbeat remained normal, but the Naberrie girl still laid unconscious on the ground. Then the man lifted her wounded hand and sighed, as the damage was too severe. Sadly, the nerve strands to her hand were severed by the impact of the slug, thus resulting in a amputation and prosthetic implant. Being considerate, the man decided to not immediately notify Sola of the severity of her injury, or else the news would add to her distress.

"Heiress Naberrie, wake up! It is unsafe to remain lying here in a battleground," he spoke as the sounds of blasters and detonator explosions echoed from the battle dozens of meters away.

Yet the girl laid unconscious, so the Naboo nobleman placed his hand on her forehead and transferred a small surge of Force energy to her. Since her consciousness could be felt through the Force, the man knew that she could be revived from her unconscious state. Sola fluttered her eyelids open and took a deep breath. With a surprised expression, Sola stared at the man squatting next to her while checking her injuries.

"Sir Shiro Arias?" she said.

"Certainly, Heiress Naberrie, I must get you out of this area, as your injured hand must be treated before infection occurs," the uncle of Eirtaé clarified. A meter above his head, a stray blaster bolt sped by and emitted a puff of vapor as it impacted on a stone wall near them.

"Quickly sit up Sola. We must move quickly," Sir Arias urged as he checked Sola on the arms and limbs for other injuries.

Sola sat up, and stood up with assistance from Sir Arias. They both hurriedly paced towards a speeder parked nearby while dodging a few stray blaster bolts that impacted on the aged Varykino estate. Arias and Sola entered the speeder cockpit and started the engine. But Arias did not desire to take the Naberrie heiress to heal her injuries without consulting her father first.

" _Elder_ _Naberrie, your daughter is injured. I highly recommend that she be taken to the nearest Rieren outpost in the Lake Country for treatment,_ " Sir Arias spoke through the link to his protected nobleman.

" _Just take Sola. Shiro Arias, make a getaway while we fend off the hitmen,_ " Ruwee spoke, while deflecting blaster bolts with sweeps and turns of his lightsaber.

" _As you wish, Elder Naberrie,_ " Sir Arias said.

Arias pressed the accelerator and quickly flew the airspeeder away from the conflict below. Below the fleeing airspeeder, the remainder of the Naberries faced a desperate fight for survival. The Princess of Naboo, with her parents, friends, and handmaidens, hid behind a boulder. The hitmen pulled out their rapid-fire slug throwers and unleashed a deadly rain of heavy metal slugs, chipping off stone bits from the boulder. A part of the mammoth rock fragmented, raining shards of debris onto the handmaidens that clutched their lightsabers. Eirtaé projected a Force shield above the heads of her fellow handmaidens to protect them from injuries by debris. Meanwhile, Ruwee pulled out his S-5 blaster pistol with a grim frown, and he fired at the foliage in an attempt to wound the unseen attackers. He often preferred to use the weapons of Naboo nobles, such as the lightsabers that Elders considered as civil weapons.

"Kriffing hitmen," said Eirtaé as she fired her S-5 pistol at the hitmen who took cover behind trees. Some returned blaster shots flew a hair over her head, searing some of her hair.

"They are getting closer, and they are blaster-immune, which makes our blaster ineffective," Sabé spoke after firing her blaster at the armored hitmen, which caused no effect.

After minutes of hiding behind the boulder, they noticed that the barrage had ceased. Ruwee peeked at the positions of the hitmen. He realized that the hitmen had run out of ammo, as projectile weapons had limited ammunition. The other eight hitmen remained hidden in the foliage, as they were covered in phrik armor and held phrik swords in gloved hands. Because phrik was lightsaber resistant, the handmaidens and Naberries would have to use other weapons to defeat them. Jobal scowled. Her family were a respected Naboo noble family. Why did they become major targets by their fellow Nabooians? Could a Royal House member have betrayed their secret society? However, Jobal had little time to investigate the person behind the attacks, as one of the hitmen took position in front of the boulder and held a thermal detonator in his gloved hand. Silently, the suited figure threw the detonator over the boulder, which landed with a thump in front of a surprised Jobal and Ruwee. The device began to rapidly beep, signaling the countdown of the detonation.

"Stop staring and throw it back, Ru!" Jobal urged Ruwee.

"Of course, honey!" he said as he quickly used the Force to catapult the detonator back over the boulder. A terrified scream was heard before a boom was heard and a small fireball rose behind the boulder.

"We won't last much longer if we stay behind this boulder. We need a battle plan , as our enemy is well trained in combat with Force-sensitives," whispered Ruwee to Jobal and Padmé.

"Better make it quick, Dad, they are approaching us!" Padmé said, as she tightly gripped her slim, magenta-bladed lightsaber in her hands. Footsteps were coming quickly towards the Princess, her family and her handmaidens.

"Split up and encircle them. Each half attacks part of the hitmen group simultaneously, thus trapping and overwhelming the enemy," Ruwee ordered, and led Padmé and Jobal in a trio towards the right side of the boulder.

On the left charge, the handmaidens attacked underneath a Force shield projected by Eirtaé. Although the shield only lasted a few moments, it allowed the handmaidens to quickly encircle the suited enemies who frantically wasted ammunition of their blasters. The constant lightsaber slices eventually defeated six of the eight hitmen, thus leaving only two hitmen left. Even lightsaber-resistant weapons bore no match to Force-enhanced battle reflexes. The two suited figures cowered in shock at seeing their associates quickly fall at the hands of Force-sensitive Naboo. Surrounded by nine attackers, the hitmen faced the options of a surrender or a suicide attack. But they took a pledge to not reveal who had orchestrated the attacks on the Naberries, and their mind-shield helmets prevented any mind probing by the Force-sensitives surrounding them. Darred then arrived and saw the two hitmen. In anger, he sliced off the hands of the suited men through a small gap between their armor.

"So who are you working for? Who called the attacks on us?" Darred grilled the two survivors, holding the glowing blade of his lightsaber near their necks.

Finally, after a few moments, the surviving hitmen decided that they would sacrifice themselves for the glory of their Naboo "Natelistes", and to conceal the role of King Veruna. In unison, both hitmen opened a hatch on their chestplates to press a small button. Immediately, a beeping sound resonated through the air, and increased in frequency as the countdown approached zero.

"Forever live Naboo, our beloved nation and planet! Destiny commands its superiority to all races." spoke the hitmen in unison, steeling their minds to accept their deaths as martyrs of their group.

"Kriff!" Ruwee exclaimed, as he withdrew his lightsaber and pushed his wife and daughter behind him, and he raised his hand to project a Force shield only seconds before the blast.

 _Bang!_

The other handmaidens were not as fortunate in avoiding the blast, as Eirtaé had thrown herself in front of the blast, and she had projected a Force shield barely strong enough to dampen the shock wave. The resulting shock wave flung the handmaidens and remaining Naberries into the surroundings. With a thump, an unconscious Ruwee landed on the grassy ground with a dazed Padmé and Jobal. They both slowly sat up among the charred, smoking debris strewn everywhere, and turned in horror to see Ruwee lying lifeless on the ground.

"Dad, please don't leave us... Please hold on," Padmé spoke between whimpers as she bent over to check for a breath. Nothing happened.

Suddenly, Ruwee gasped in a shallow breath, and his heartbeat was weak from blood loss from many cuts by the explosion debris. His breaths sounded raspy, as if a rough log were being scraped across the ground. But he still did not regain consciousness.

"Ru, please wake up. Your daughter needs to see you-" Jobal spoke with a choked sob, although she knew that her husband was in a coma.

"My dear Ruwee, why did you have to be so stubborn... You hardly knew when to hold yourself back," Jobal sobbed as she embraced the still body of her husband in her arms.

Ruwee was still unresponsive and made no movement. With tears flowing down her cheeks, Jobal shook her husband on the shoulder again to stir him awake. Even when Jobal reached out to the Force essence of her husband, Ruwee failed to respond. Padmé began to weep for her father, the pain of the loss of the company of her father breaking her heart. Her mother went to Padmé to hug her as they both silently stared at the fallen Naberrie man, husband, father, and protector. A Royal Guard transport arrived from behind and two guards stepped out to tend to the injuries of Ruwee to stop the bleeding.

"Will my father survive?" Padmé asked, who wore a grim expression.

"I'm sure, but his blood loss has been substantial. It may be years before he awakes from his coma," the guard said with a sigh.

"Please, just take him to Lake Country's regional medical center. Ensure that he's alright and well to recovery." Padmé pleaded, as she still wiped her tears.

"Yes, milady," spoke the guards and loaded Ruwee into the speeder to place an oxygen mask on his face. With a cloud of dust in its wake, the Royal Guard transport immediately rushed to the medical center a few kilometers away. Behind the cloud of dust, a saddened Padmé and Jobal watched the body of Ruwee Naberrie hover away into the distance upon the speeder. Darred walked over to the two Naberries and comforted them with his arm around their shoulders.

"It's best to hope for the positive outcome, Princess Padmé... Miss Naberrie. Ruwee is an extraordinarily strong man, so I'm certain that he will pull through," Darred said.

On the other side of the fragmented boulder, Eirtaé lay comatose like Ruwee was. Sabé held her friend in her stained orange dress and cried alongside her handmaidens for the loss of a comrade and friend. Tragically, she was only twenty-four, and had missed out on many life activities during her service, and would never live normally and peacefully. She might never awake to interact with her friends or family again. Her tall tales about her ancestors could never be retold. Her occasional laughs could never echo across the Royal Palace chambers again. Squatting at the side of Eirtaé, Darred could only forlornly stare at the fallen handmaiden, similar to how Padmé had observed her fallen handmaiden Dormé.

 _Royal Palace, Theed, Naboo_

"They survived?" growled Veruna, while his right eyelids twitched from his barely controlled anger.

"Yes, Your Majesty. There were extra escorts with the Princess and the rest of the Naberries. However, both one Naberrie and one handmaiden are comatose," a Naboo royal agent reported over the comlink.

Veruna squeezed his fist to crush another empty porcelain vase with the Force, and he cursed in Old Naboo profanities. But he quickly stopped his tirade and allowed an idea to emerge. His ordered attacks on the Naberries may have failed, but the news could be used to sway the public to support a heavily secured and militarized Naboo under _his_ rule. Now he only found it necessary to erase all evidence of the attacks. Veruna cackled with dark glee and reveled in his dreams to become the greatest ruler of Naboo and bring his planet glory. Already, the construction of the Naboo fleet neared completion, standing at ninety-five percent of its full strength.

"Get the Data Center immediately! I want a full database wipe of Operation Purge-19, and all other records of this operation should be erased wherever found," Veruna ordered.

"Yes, King Veruna," the agent responded.

The transmission closed, and King Veruna found himself all alone in his quarters. He notified his handmaiden Ellé to sweep away the shattered vase fragments, despite the moody monarch having caused the clutters multiple times. As Ellé entered the hallway with a cleaning droid, she could notice that the eyes of Veruna flickered yellow. During the cleanup, Saché returned to report for additional orders by King Veruna. She looked at Ellé and quietly communicated to her.

" _Crazy man. He keeps destroying certain Naboo artifacts all around the palace, and I'm surprised to see that the palace still stands,_ " Ellé messaged.

Saché scoffed through the mind connection. " _I can't disagree with that, but he's still our superior nonetheless. Our services belong to him, despite his irrational temper flares and random rants. At least he has reduced poverty..._ " said Saché.

"I _can hardly wait until the next Queen comes to the throne. I've seen two monarchs before, and King Tapalo was much better,_ " Ellé said.

" _You mean Princess Padmé? She's got an intellect beyond people her age, and often seems to be kind,_ " Saché said.

" _Certainly..._ " Ellé acknowledged.

King Veruna clenched his fists and glared at the handmaidens with his menacing stare, who soon returned to the task of removing the dangerous porcelain shards laying on the floor. The disgruntled king had always hated the fact that his handmaidens mentally spoke unflattering things out of his notice. But what came with power was some amount of dissent, as Veruna knew that truth by heart. The opposition would either be influenced to suit him or be destroyed. But the Naboo King preferred the second option, which gave him greater pleasure. However, King Ars Veruna was expected to give an explanation to Ambassador Palpatine of how the assassination attempt and sabotage mission on the Naberries failed. Also, to improve the relations with his friend Palpatine, Veruna decided to later appoint him as the Naboo senator...


	9. After Thoughts

**Note: This chapter will go into more depth on the character of Padmé and her parents, and we'll see a bit more villainous Palpatine here.**

 _Lake Country, Naboo_

Padmé and her handmaidens still wept for Eirtaé, as they awaited the medical transports and security escorts to arrive. The Princess of Naboo, previously a strong-willed and influential political figure, leaned on the shoulder of her mother in tears. How had this tragedy happened? Why would hear family deserve this? Oftentimes, Padmé had always desired to help the unfortunate of the galaxy by representing them to ensure that they were well treated. Instead of living for herself, she had lived for others. Oftentimes, her parents had appraised her idealism as a great asset, as it fit her willful nature and complimented her intelligence well in her work. She had honesty and consistency, which were two traits that most Republic senators lacked. But because of her idealism, she could not let any imperfection in the galaxy rush past her efforts, as she had always feared letting go of an issue that she felt responsibility for. Additionally, Padmé secretly feared another thing during her personal life and career life: failure. The very word sent chills down her spine.

Despite what her parents had told her about the nature of perfection, she still desired it. Padmé glanced at Jobal and thought for a brief moment about a discussion with her parents during her early childhood.

To _become perfect in being or doings is like trying to will yourself to grow younger. It cannot be done. It cannot be completed, no matter how smart, brave, or strong you are," Ruwee spoke, looking into her eyes with a fatherly gaze of understanding._

 _Why, Dad? How could that be true?_ "

 _"Well, my little Padmé, you just need to accept that you were born imperfect, along with me, you mother, and everyone else. So you cannot get perfection no matter what. Imperfection and failure are just a part of life," Ruwee answered._

 _"Even on our courting days, I remember," Jobal added, placing her hand in the firm grip of her husband._

Padmé immediately returned to reality when the humming of four hover transports sounded near the Naberries and the handmaidens. She gradually stopped the flow of her tears as she came to accept the situation. A small group of Royal Guards and medics approached the battle-weary group, and carried first aid medical supplies on their backs. A guard and a medic approached Sabé and her fellow handmaidens to check the vitals of their fallen friend. The medic laid a finger on the wrist of the unconscious handmaiden, and checked her breathing with an airflow measuring device.

"What's the matter with handmaiden Eirtaé, our friend?" Sabé asked the medic kneeling beside her friend, attempting to stop her tears.

"Her pulse is weak, and she has lost a lot of blood from her injuries. I'm sorry milady, but she may be unlikely to wake up, even if she survives,"

Sabé exhaled a shuddering sigh as she tried repressing her sobs for the moment.

"Then I must be strong for my f-friend... it would grieve her if we mourned and did nothing for our mission to protect the Princess. Holding back from accomplishing our duty to protect Princess Padmé only makes her sacrifice seem vain," Sabé said, as she sniffled with her handmaiden friends behind her solemnly nodding in agreement.

"We are Royal Handmaidens of Naboo who have passed many trials... this will not shatter us. After all, we have the blood of warriors and nobles," Rabé spoke firmly, although her eyes remained red from her weeping.

"Eirtaé would want us to continue on for our own family as sisters in duty," Yané added, while wiping off tears with her hand.

"Spoken true, handmaidens Sabé and Rabé . Now it would be preferable if you could help us lift her to the transport," the guard said, as soon as the medic ensured that Eirtaé was stable.

The two handmaidens, with one last look at the smouldering battleground, carried their friend with solemn faces and frowns. Yané followed them close behind, and attempted to keep a stoic expression, since maintaining their composure was a duty requirement.

Padmé felt hints of guilt at watching the loss of Eirtaé cause agony for her handmaidens. She wondered if she could have done more to protect her friend and loyal handmaiden. But she could only send waves of calmness through the Force to reduce their pain. They were not solely her servants and bodyguards, but people with emotions, mindsets, values like her. They shared feelings together like sisters, and they struggled in hardship with each other like soldiers. To the Princess of Naboo, she saw the true identities of her handmaidens under their exterior: they were her friends despite only knowing them for a few days. As if she had been eavesdropping on her thoughts, Jobal approached her daughter and held her hand firmly, giving her the reassurance that she was not along in her troubles.

"It's best to simply move on from this, Padmé, and make the best of the situation now. Your father would want you to remain strong," Jobal said.

"Yeah, you're right, Mom. But I feel as if I had caused this all," Padmé said, her gaze toward the charred ground covered in the corpses of the hitmen.

Yet Padmé still thought, "What if I had trained more instead of rushing into politics? What if I put more effort into protecting my friends?" As captivating as her regrets sounded, her rationale told her to stay in the present situation.

Jobal looked at her daughter with a gaze of worry, as she had undoubtedly heard the troubled thought. They were soon alerted by an electronic beep from the speeders, which alerted them that the time to leave had arrived. The medic and an accompanying guard lifted the medical stretcher with Eirtaé. They secured the stretcher onto the speeder while Padmé and her mother boarded the speeder. During the middle of the journey to the regional medical center, Jobal felt concerned that her daughter kept silent about her true feelings, as if she could not trust her to understand. So she finally decided to further talk with her daughter.

"Padmé, please let me talk with you about what bothers you, it hurts to see you like this," she said.

"I'm not in a suitable mood to discuss the previous situation with Eirtaé," Padmé said, and she turned to face the window to stare at the landscape that rushed by.

"On the contrary, Padmé , your mother sitting over here desires to _help_ you release your pain to find comfort," Jobal countered.

The emotionally disturbed Princess still stared beyond the speeder door, ignoring her mother.

"Padmé Naberrie, you will open up to me _now_ , this doesn't help the turmoil within you at all," Jobal firmly told Padmé.

" _Fine_ ," her daughter reluctantly spoke as she caved in to the demands of her mother.

"I just have some regrets about how I failed in my responsibility to look after my friend Eirtaé, since I had chosen a life of duty over those I love. I now feel that this could eventually ruin me," Padmé elaborated, with her face down to her lower dress that had tears in its fabric from the earlier confrontation.

"It hasn't ruined you. Not yet. You have become the strong youthful Princess of our homeplanet. You have brought goodness upon the poor of Theed and Naboo as a whole. Overall, Padmé, I can clearly notice that your choice has made you grow stronger and more mature," Jobal said.

"It's just that I feel guilty for what I could have done to protect my friend, as if I had failed her. I only wanted everything to be safe for everybody of Naboo, even my loved ones," Padmé said, lowering her head in regret.

Jobal sighed, and commented, "Stubborn like your father, but with my compassion,"

"Yes, Mom, I'm every bit as stubborn, yet intelligent like my father. Yes, I may have accomplished great achievements, yet I performed below what should have been expected for myself," Padmé said, while looking at her mother again. She kneaded her fingers together.

"Well, you do know that everyone has free-will, so they do things of their own power occasionally. So whatever they do is out of your control and expectation of life, since you cannot be present everywhere in the galaxy. That is solely why tragedies and accidents happen, but you can simply focus on the good of the situation. Having your friend and father still alive is better than completely losing them, and that is probably a success in a way." reassured Jobal, placing her hands on the hands of her daughter, who faced an uncertain future.

"I still love you despite whatever failures and flaws you may have, my little Padmé," Jobal added.

"I love you too, Mom, and I now understand, Mom," Padmé whispered to her mother, as she was embraced by her mother in the seats of the speeder.

 _Lake Country Medical Center, Naboo_

About two hours late, the transports arrived at the medical facility a few minutes before the Naboo sunset and during a light summer rain. Humming to a stop, the guards opened the doors to allow the Princess, Jobal, and the surviving handmaidens to exit. They briefly gazed at the entire structure that stood ten stories high, and spotted lone illuminated room on the fourth floor. Padmé widened her eyes as she felt a familiar Force presence strengthen behind the window on the fourth floor: her father.

" _Padmé... my dear Jo..._ " Ruwee weakly spoke through his mental link to his daughter.

"How has Dad been regaining his consciousness so quickly? He was centimeters from death just after the attack," Padmé wondered.

"I feel it too, Padmé. Your father is awakening," Jobal quietly spoke to Padmé.

Sabé, with her robes damp from the rain, turned to face the Princess while standing in the group of handmaidens waiting at the facility entrance. She gestured for Padmé to hasten her pacing towards the front door, as the handmaidens lacked their identification cards.

"Hurry, Padmé, rain clouds are approaching here," Sabé said while gray clouds approached overhead.

Padmé quickened her footsteps and put her finger on one scanner, which soon beeped and flashed green. The door slid open, and the weary group of royalty and handmaidens entered the medical facility. After waiting under the shower of rain, the Princess was very enthusiastic to enter the medical facility for cover. In front of them, a uniformed man dressed in white and red sat behind a countertop.

"Tell your appointment info here, visitors... Oh, Princess Amidala! I apologize for the rude greeting..." the clerk spoke, his face red from fear of offending the soon Queen-to-be.

But the Princess of Naboo simply told the desk man, "Apology accepted. Now, I have an appointment with the patient Ruwee Naberrie, and I desire an hour with him..."

"Of course, Your Highness. Just a minute is needed to find the information of his placement here," the clerk said.

As the clerk searched for the appointment records of Ruwee Naberrie within the facility entries, Sabé placed a hand on her friend on the shoulder, as if attempting to comfort her.

" _I'm still sorry to hear about what happened to your father, Padmé, but I can still sense his Force presence. That must mean that he's alive, so he could awaken later on,_ " Sabé messaged to her friend.

" _Whatever is bothering you, Padmé, just don't hesitate to tell me,_ " Sabé added.

" _Actually, Sabé,_ _my father has just awakened for some reason, and I'm confused as to why. I could feel a twinge in his Force aura when he regained his conscious,_ " Padmé said through the Force connection.

" _So your father is awake now? I thought he was in a coma... I just saw him lay lifeless on the ground a few hours ago,"_ Sabé said.

" _Yes, Sabé! My father is alive, and I'm overjoyed to know about that_ ," Padmé said with a faint smile.

Padmé continued, " _Yet,_ _I think that I should attempt to understand what is going on here with my father..._ "

" _Great to hear that, Padmé, but I'm worried about the stress and turmoil you've been facing lately... especially what happened with Eirta_ _é. Do you want me to accompany you to his quarters here?_ " Sabé asked.

The Princess of Naboo thought about the request from her friend for a moment. She decided that she could allow Sabé to accompany her, as no problems would result. Padmé nodded to her friend. But still a question remained: Who or what had caused the attacks on herself, her parents, and her handmaiden friends? Her thoughts were interrupted by a chime as the clerk found the records of Ruwee Naberrie.

"He is in room 4-K, Your Highness. Fortunately, his status shows that he has regained consciousness," the clerk reported.

"Thanks, clerk, and my guards will arrive here to request an appointment for my injured handmaiden. Just to inform you early," Padmé said, and walked to the turbolift along with her mother and handmaidens. The silvery doors slid open and the group ascended to meet their awaited survivor of the explosion earlier in the day. Back on the first floor, the guards approached the clerk with the hover stretcher behind them, which held an unconscious Eirtaé.

"We request immediate treatment of this handmaiden by the Princess's orders," the leading guard spoke to the clerk with a stern expression.

"Yes, sir, I will converse with the other clerks in the back to ensure her treatment..." the clerk spoke as he stood out of his seat and entered a door behind him. The sounds of chattering could be heard, and another clerk stepped out.

"Hello, sir. I am the appointment clerk. I will find an available room for our guest to the best of my efforts..." the new clerk spoke...

 _(Fourth Floor of the Medical Facility)_

Ruwee laid under the hospital bed sheets, with a helmet connected to a machine that displayed his brain waves. Other sensors were strapped on his body, which had gauze and bandages cover his healing ribs and cuts. His face, despite the bruises and bandages, still seemed to emanate the aura of the Naberrie man: stubborn, strong, and intelligent. He opened his eyes to see the face of his daughter leaning herself over his figure, with unshed tears in her eyes. Ruwee flashed a smile and slowly sat up to hug his daughter. Alongside Padmé, all of her handmaidens except her friend Eirtaé accompanied her.

"Daughter-" Ruwee said, and winced in pain with a groan. He soon fell back onto the mattress of his hospital bed to rest his exhausted and wounded body.

"Dad... welcome back," his daughter softly said, and broke the embrace.

"Happy to see you again, but I have something to tell you about... my vision in the netherworld of the Force," Ruwee slowly told Padmé.

Padmé raised an eyebrow in concern, and asked, "What is it, Dad?"

Ruwee groaned again from another wave of pain from his healing ribs, and looked up at his daughter.

"My vision while I was in there... I saw a bald, robed man in the palace talking to- *ugh*- to a hooded figure in black, some one by the Sith title of Sidious. And there were scenes of unimaginable horrors," Ruwee said with strain.

"I saw Theed get obliterated in a flash, and I saw civilians get disintegrated," Ruwee whispered, beginning to tear up, as Padmé held his right hand tighter and frowned.

"Your Princess position isn't completely safe for you, my little Padmé, and I greatly fear that I may end up burying my daughter before I am buried. I fear that the Royal traitor will kill you... and all of us," he continued with a shudder of fear, the shock evident in his eyes.

Padmé hugged her father again as he tensed up in fear and shock from his disturbing vision. She feared the worst, and grimaced as she visualized what her father witnessed earlier.

"Reddish or greenish robes? Bald man? Reminds me of..." Sabé said.

"King Veruna. I had a hunch that something was off about him, but he doesn't appear to be a mass murderer at heart..." Padmé said with a scowl.

"You mean the same person who lifted Naboo from a backwater planet into an economic and military power?" Yané blurted, which drew a scowl from Padmé.

The handmaiden quickly apologized, "Sorry for the interruption, milady."

"Apology accepted, Yané," Padmé said.

"Well he does seem imposing and manipulative, but he respects his political opponents and serves the Naboo people with a passion..." Rabé observed, as she spun her dagger with one hand.

"Yes, what you all have said is true, but we can't accuse the current King based on just one witness. If we do find a connection between him and the hits on my family, then we must ask ourselves why a Sith Lord would get involved in this matter, if my father is correct," Padmé said.

"The questions would be... What would such a Sith gain from these attacks as Veruna's motivator and backer? And would Veruna himself, as a Rieren Society reject, be his apprentice?" Rabé asked.

"That seems kind of far-fetched, Padmé..." Sabé said.

"Nevertheless, I think that we should put these questions to rest by investigating King Veruna. His corruption is appalling, as the gangs and drug importers are still at large with crime spikes," Padmé suggested.

"Of course, Your Highness... For our sister in duty," both Rabé and Yané said in agreement, while Sabé nodded.

"For Eirtaé..." Padmé silently whispered, and Ruwee nodded with Jobal.

"He will pay for nearly killing my husband and our family," Jobal firmly spoke, her gaze as sharp as a vibroblade, a cutting weapon used by bounty hunters.

"Then we shall deal with that dammed Sith Lord," Ruwee said. His wife held his hand in response as if she were giving strength to her beloved.

 _Royal Palace, Theed, Naboo_

After his handmaidens had departed his throne room, King Veruna took a seat upon his throne across from his Ambassador, who sat in a hoverchair. The Naberries may not have been assassinated, so that situation threw a droid arm into his plans. It would take a period of time to influence the public to his advantage with the news and rumors spreading about the assassination attempt. Already, _KaadaraFeed_ and _Theed Journal_ had published a few dozen articles about the event within hours. With a grimacing smile, Veruna thought that Palpatine would easily forgive him for his failed agreement to assassinate the Naberries if he gave a favor quickly. Ambassador Palpatine had already gained respect from the Republic senators for his charismatic speaking and plentiful political knowledge. So promoting his friend as Senator would help ease the tensions he had with his friend, Ambassador Palpatine.

"Your Majesty, I have heard about your... trouble eliminating the Naberries. I am worried about the implications of what would happen if our machinations were discovered. Our positions are at stake unless a logical plan is in action," Palpatine said.

"You do realize that the Naberries' influence would be a deadly adversary if turned against us, despite your relatively high approval ratings and strong supporter base," he added.

"I am aware of that, my Ambassador and good friend, and I can try to distract the public from any suspicion by using your promotion as Senator as a lobby for a secure, industrialized, and militant Naboo. My agendas will be well promoted, and you will acquire your much-deserved position as Senator. We will both be freed from any risk of suspicion and boost our influences beyond Naboo," Veruna mused.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, you flatter me. I will do my best for Naboo and the Republic while I hold office," Palpatine said.

"Not much a problem, friend. I shall see that you are inaugurated as the new Naboo senator. As a side note, our current one has already reached retirement age, so your promotion won't be a major issue," Veruna happily spoke, clapping his hands once.

The Sith Lord of the Line of Darth Bane chuckled. King Veruna may have been a buffoon oblivious to his plans to dominate the galaxy, but he was a loyal, intelligent subject of his plan. Palpatine had finally met a respectable person whom he shared a lust for power and adoration, and the person was King Veruna. As he was strongly Force-sensitive, he could later become a candidate as his Dark Side handyman. However, Anakin Skywalker would make a suitable apprentice in the far future if the right heartstrings were pulled.


	10. Suspicions

**A.N: Finally, the tenth chapter! To all of my readers, sorry for the longer delay, and I'll try to get the chapters out a bit quicker.  
**

 _Nabooian Royal Palace, Theed: Six months later_

The remainder of the year passed with little difficulty for the Naboo Princess, except for the investigation of King Veruna. Apparently, Veruna seemed to have no connection with the Sith Lord that her father Ruwee foresaw. All of her hologram communication tapping had revealed nothing. In addition, checking the surveillance camera footage revealed nothing suspicious done by Veruna. Perhaps with guidance by her father, if the clinic released him, King Ars Veruna would finally be exposed for his corrupt deeds and ousted from the throne. But the issue of the unknown Sith Lord disturbed Padmé greatly, as his presence implied that her hard work was manipulated from the start, which implied that her efforts to help Naboo were in vain. But if she gained the throne as the soon-to-be-Queen, she would easily investigate Veruna, since he would not have a superior position to her. She would have the legal power to investigate Veruna without any objections.

As Padmé sat in her quarters in the Royal Palace, waiting for the release of her father, she recalled a night when her parents told her of the treachery of the Sith Order during its height three thousand years before. Examples similar to Darth Nihilus gave Padmé a reason to stop the Sith Lord and Veruna before both of them corrupted the galaxy...

 _(Flashback)_

" _M_ _ _é__ _reetsa... take a seat young Padmé. I'd like tell you a tale of the Old Sith,_ " Winama spoke.

" _Okay, Grandmother Winama,_ " her eleven-year-old self said, as she walked over to an adjacent seat with a cushioned surface, and took a seat.

 _"Once during the Dark Sith Wars, which happened over three thousand years ago, the Sith Empire flourished with many Sith. They were driven with an insatiable desire for power. The more they consumed... the more they wanted to devour like a raging fire. One of them was the Sith Lord Darth Nihilus..._ " said the elderly woman in her Nabooian silk and cloth robes.

" _What else Grandmother?_ " a young Padmé asked, as she gazed at the holographic disc on top of a wooden table in front of them.

" _I may have to get my personal Holocron, first, dear Padmé,_ " her grandmother said.

Winama Naberrie pressed a button on the holographic disc, and removed a small spherical Holocron from her robe pocket. She levitated the glowing object above the palm of her hand and it rotated faster and faster. Finally, it opened to reveal a tiny silvery plate engraved with Royal Naboo Script. Winama closed her eyes deep in meditation for a minute, as she levitated the metallic plate into a slot on the hologram disc. A hologram of a skull-masked and black-hooded face flickered to life above the disc.

"One _such example was Darth Nihilus, who drained the life forces of **entire planets** to satisfy his thirst for power,_" Winama spoke, the light of the hologram illuminating her face with an eerie blue glow.

" _Any planet that flourished with life would be sucked dry of it, just like Katarr,_ " she added, and a new image appeared of a barren rocky planet, with its surface colored shades of dull gray and black. Images of abandoned ruins of cities cycled by.

" _But what about our very distant lineage from the Sith, Grandmother? Aren't we just as wrong as them for using the Dark?_ " Padmé questioned Elder Winama.

" _Well, our ancestors from the Sith were rejected as outcasts after Nihilus gained influence. Our ancestors from Grizmallt, Naboo's parent planet, lived there and boarded a colony ship around that time to escape destruction by his successors... the Beneficent Tasia. Eventually, our ancestors realized that the light side and the dark side are just opinions about Force usage. We started to meditate on both sides of the Force to gain balance, while doing the common good,_ " Winama slowly spoke, with Padmé listening with eyes opened wide from a growing interest in the narrative.

" _So are we certainly doing what's right, Grandmother?_ " Padmé asked.

" _Yes, balance keeps us from stagnation and mutual destruction. With just the Dark Side, Naboo would become like Katarr, a lifeless, desolate place_. _With just the Light Side, we would become too reserved and stubborn in our ways like the Jedi,_ " the elderly Naberrie said.

" _That's good to keep in mind. Yet what can we do about the Sith... if there are any survivors of their order?_ " Padmé said.

" _From_ _our knowledge, the Sith have been extinct or unreachable for over three thousand standard years. But we always stay alert to any threats against our homeplanet Naboo, including the Sith,_ " Winama reassured Padmé.

Padmé awoke from her meditative state and left her flashback, as she returned to reality to face her loyal handmaidens. She still found herself sitting on the bed in a meditative stance, since she had crossed her legs and relaxed her arms. The troubles of the Sith would arrive without notice, or secretly arrive without a sign. The suspicions that Padmé had about Veruna still flashed as warnings in her mind. If Veruna was truly as corrupt as the Veruna that her father foresaw, then her life and the lives of her people and her loved ones still hung over a dangerous fate. Again, to think rationally in her situation, she only had the testimony of her father to "prove" that Veruna was guilty of conspiring to kill her family and aiding two Sith. A situation dealing with a corrupt King and a hidden powerful Sith Lord on her homeplanet required patience and a level mind.

Padmé breathed deeply and released her anxiety and fear into the Force, and though about the childhood games that Sola would enjoy with her, so she would remain hopeful for her future to avoid corrupting herself. She envisioned moments of racing her sister to the island on Lake Varykino, the laughter and playful taunts echoing through the warm air of Naboo...

"Padmé... are you alright? You've been in your quarters for over an hour," Eirtaé spoke behind the door.

"Did she fall asleep, 'Tae? We must inform her of the King's meeting," Sabé asked her friend, dressed in her flame-colored robes.

"I sense that she's awakening, Sabé. What have to tell Padmé is quite important, whatever you said earlier," Eirtaé replied while looking back at her friend, who placed her ear closer to the door to listen closely.

Interrupted from her meditation, Padmé exited her meditative state and tried to refocus her sight on her surroundings for a few seconds. Then she heard knocks on the brass door to her quarters, which clearly came from her friends behind the door. She stretched her legs and arms, and reached out to the Force while extending her hand. With a wave of her hand, the door slid open to reveal her friends Sabé and Eirtaé standing straight in their royal handmaiden attire.

"What's currently going on, Eirtaé, Sabé? Is there something that both of you must reveal about Veruna and the Sith Lord?" Padmé said.

"Actually, we do. Veruna will be meeting the newly appointed Naboo Senator, Sheev Palpatine, in thirty minutes," Eirtaé said.

"Then it's urgent that I find out more about Veruna, who might have attempted an assassination on my family. I will not let this man go unpunished, if guilty. Get the hidden microphones ready, Sabé," Padmé said.

"But where will they meet, Sabé?" she asked her close friend.

"In the meeting room that the advisors and Parliament both use," Sabé replied.

"Agreed, Sabé," Eirtaé said, and led Sabé down the corridor on a course to get the sound recorders.

Padmé followed her friends, and walked quickly through the palace corridors. Finally, they approached a turbolift leading to the lower levels, the floors containing the espionage device room. Then, Padmé placed her finger on a scanner, which flashed green and the durasteel doors opened. Both handmaidens and the Princess of Naboo quickly descended to the floor. The mystery of who hired the assassins needed to be solved, or many of her people could suffer, including her family. She departed from the turbolift with her handmaidens, and their footsteps echoed down the stone hallway. After a minute, they found the door and opened it with the fingerprints of the Princess. Sabé gasped in awe as she saw shelves stocked with many devices and weapons used by both handmaidens and agents. Blasters, thermal detonators, flash-bang grenades, and other weapons rested on some of the shelves.

"We must hurry, they will arrive in less than twenty minutes," Padmé warned, while pressing on a console to find the location of the spying equipment she needed.

Sabé and Eirtaé both rustled through the shelves for the eavesdropping devices, and found a hologram tapper and recorder. Still, Padmé had not yet found the location of the sound recorders.

"Have the recorders been located yet?" Sabé asked Padmé.

"Yes, just found them now. Check row twelve and then column nine," Padmé said.

The two handmaidens rushed toward the location given by Padmé and found a pair of the devices. Sabé said, "Padmé, we've found the devices. We're coming back now."

"Good. Our time is running low, an we _must_ get the information on Veruna and his possible accomplice," the Princess of Naboo said with determination.

Sabé walked out of the array of shelves, and tossed the minuscule recorders to her closest friend Padmé, who caught them with one hand. She exited the room and her two main handmaidens followed closed behind. Both Sabé and Eirtaé accompanied Padmé while traveling back up into the upper palace floors, and felt nervous about the possibility of being noticed by King Veruna. As Veruna had a higher rank, he could imprison them for treason if caught spying on him, or their families would face consequences such as torture. Rumors of Veruna beheading "suspected" traitors came to their minds. But they still believed that they were doing something for the greater good, despite breaking multiple royal laws. Finally, after a moment, they stopped at the floor with the meeting rooms, and the lift doors opened.

"Follow me along the left side," Padmé urged her two friends, who trailing behind. They soon reached the doors of the conference room for the meeting of Veruna and Palpatine, and Padmé reached out to the Force to open the room doors. With a wave of her hand, the doors silently slid open. Immediately, the two handmaidens and their Princess went to work installing the devices upon the bottom of the Nabooian wood table.

"Hand me the sticky plating, Sabé," Padmé whispered, as she crouched below the tabletop and reached out a hand.

Sabé handed the plating to Padmé, who stuck the fastener to the device to finally attach it underneath the table.

Eirtaé wondered if the devices would be found by Veruna, as he had an intelligent and somewhat paranoid mind. He had been known to place extra security measures in both the palace and placed surveillance in the media outlets. Suddenly, the Force signatures of ten humans blazed nearby in her senses. Eirtaé felt goosebumps down her back, and realized that they could easily be caught by King Veruna and his servants. Footsteps could be heard, which were approaching their location. Padmé and Sabé also looked up with widened eyes out of fear, and mouthed one word: RUN. Apparently, Veruna had decided to meet earlier than expected with Senator Palpatine. Eirtaé nodded, and her two friends stood up and hastily packed the receiver into a bag.

Padmé, Sabé, and Eirtaé ran out of the room as silently as they could while carrying the bag. Then they turned around the corner of the intersection of the hallway. Soon, they heard the sound of the King and Senator chattering and their footsteps getting closer to the meeting room.

"I felt some unexpected presence nearby, Your Majesty. Could it be a threat?" Ellé said, her brown eyes scanning the hallway for signs of the intruder. Her hand instinctively grabbed her blaster underneath her outer flame-colored robes.

"It's just a Royal Palace Guard, handmaiden. Nothing of suspicion..." Veruna said.

His plan to use the assassination attempt to his advantage had worked perfectly, as the media had demanded more security measures to be legislated. He knew that all possible risks must be handled carefully, since his position and reputation were "near the Sarlacc pit". Before Ellé could protest, Veruna told his handmaiden, "Guard the entrance to the room, just in case," With a bow, the handmaiden stepped out the entrance and stood at guard with her blaster ready. Seven Royal Guards stood beside her, and unholstered their blasters.

"I can't help but sense a familiar presence nearby... must be the Princess. Nothing seems suspicious, I think," the handmaiden thought.

With nervousness, Padmé stood still behind the corner with her friends as the guards of Veruna took their positions. She then gestured for her handmaidens to follow her into a nearby palace room, where she revealed the receiver for the sound recorder placed under the meeting table. Sabé and Eirtaé unpacked the receiver and connected it to a data storage unit, and then turned on the device, which hummed faintly as it activated.

"Hopefully this thing isn't broken," Sabé said.

"It will work, Sabé, just trust me," Padmé reassured her friend.

 _(Meeting Room)_

Veruna calmly waked over to his high-backed chair and sat on it, with his seat directly next to bronze-plated chair reserved for honorable guests, where Palpatine would sit. Oblivious to the hidden device underneath the table, Veruna began to speak confidently with his political accomplice and friend.

"Have a seat, Senator Palpatine," the King of Naboo spoke.

With a smile, the Senator of Naboo sat in the seat for honored guests, and reached for a cup of Naboo tea.

Veruna gloated, "The media have been on our side lately, Senator, as they have condemned the assassination attempt on the Naberries and have called for more security measures. Also, my approval ratings still hover around eighty-six percent. The machinations of our planning have gone well."

"Excellent, even then, if the Trade Federation attacks because of your aggressive political stance towards them, the lazy Senate will need a more active Chancellor. A better leader than that procrastinator Valorum in office is needed in the Republic," the Senator of Naboo spoke with pleasure, and sipped some tea from the porcelain cup.

"Probably you, good friend," Veruna said.

"Enough flattery, Your Majesty... I am a modest man," Palpatine said.

"Good, now we must consider the Princess," Veruna quietly spoke.

"Yes, yes, the Princess. She has an impressive intellect and is an eloquent speaker. Also, she's stubborn to the bone on her ideals, especially service to the less fortunate. Successfully opposing her in politics and debates is a feat that few have succeeded in," Palpatine said.

"I understand that very well, Palpatine. She's not a threat at all, and she won't put the pieces together so easily. That would be because that all of our collaborations are classified by law," Veruna elaborated...

"Now, I could become your advisor once my last term ends, as our experience and skills in politics are outstanding," he suggested.

"Considered. I'm in gratitude for your help, Your Majesty and good friend," the middle-aged Senator of Naboo said in his casual politician tone...

"Piece of shurra fruit, Senator," Veruna said.

In the secluded utility room, Padmé and her handmaidens listened with raised eyebrows while hearing King Veruna reveal part of his plans to gain dominance on Naboo, and the Senator aid his efforts. Padmé scoffed at the arrogance of the current King of Naboo, as he had been revealing part of his suspicious intentions with the assassination attempts. However, the King had not directly revealed his connection to the assassination attempts on the beloved Princess, thus giving only circumstantial evidence to implicate Veruna in the agent raids and hitmen attacks on her family. Also, Palpatine had remained secretive about his "plans" to gain power through manipulating the government with Veruna. The only clear information was that both politicians of Naboo had a secret plan to gain influence in their political fields. But the identity of the Sith Lord stayed unknown to Padmé, her family, and her loyal friends and handmaidens.

"So... Veruna must know about our device placed below the tabletop, which explains why he did not reveal the specifics of whatever plan he has with Palpatine," Eirtaé observed.

"It's possible. I think that we should deactivate the transmitter and receiver," Padmé said, and pressed the off button on the antenna shaped device.

"So we know for certain that Veruna and Palpatine might be involved with the attacks. but who's the Sith that your father foresaw?" Sabé asked.

"I am unsure, Sabé, but I promise that we will soon find the identity of the mastermind," Padmé answered, and packed the device into a black polymer bag.

 _Royal Palace, Theed: One week later_

Padmé looked outside the glass window, and she sighed while packing the last of her clothing and toiletries into the luggage bag. She again looked toward the Theed Medical Center in the distance, and thought, "Dormé... I hope that you're alright. It's been over a half year since I saw you."

"Your Highness, the transport arrives soon," Padmé heard Saché speak.

"Acknowledged, Saché," Padmé responded, and she opened the wardrobe of her quarters to change out of her Princess robe and dress up in her Noble house clothes. She looked through multiple sets of clothes, and finally selected a light blue Nabooian silk dress, and she held a gift from her friend Anakin: a necklace of japor wood beads. For a moment, she gazed at the necklace and thought of her close friend, who served in the fourth Naboo Engineering Corps within the military.

The japor necklace kept silent, but it hung in waiting, similar to how Padmé waited for her friend to go on a vacation during that day.

"I'll see you soon, Ani," Padmé softly said, as she fingered the necklace before adorning it around her neck.

Padmé undressed her robe and put on her Naberrie House dress, which had shades of green and light blue, and reached for a silver hairpin. After a few minutes, she tied her hair in a bun, and pinned the hair bun with the silver hairpin. She then called out to her nearby handmaiden, "I'm finished, Saché."

"Yes, Princess Padmé. We'll escort you to the transport's pickup area," Saché responded behind the door.

Later, The Princess and her five remaining primary handmaidens exited the palace in civilian attire, and waited on the broad front steps of the palace for the transport. People passed by them, unaware that the six young Naboo women were the Princess of Naboo and her handmaidens. Sabé and Saché looked left, and then they saw the luxury speeder hover towards the palace steps.

"It's here, Padmé, stop staring at that blonde man," Sabé said, and slightly tugged at the dress of her friend to get her attention. She succeeded, as Padmé turned around to face her with an embarrassed blush with her cheeks seeming to slightly redden.

"Alright, but stop tugging on my dress, Sabé. The dress straps are _very_ thin, so they might come loose in this public space," Padmé warned her friend, and picked off the hand of her friend off her dress.

"Sorry," her friend quietly apologized.

Finally, the transport arrived, and Padmé entered the vehicle with her handmaidens, while feeling glad that she would finally see her father and the rest of her family after a half year. She still yearned to see her father again, and hoped he had healed from his injuries without complications. After all, he had his place as the strongest man she knew, and had survived a raid by armored hitmen. She could soon meet her family again, and get closer to putting Veruna to justice, alongside the unknown Sith Lord. Her imminent coronation in a few months would guarantee that.


	11. Reunion

_Naberrie Villa, Theed_

The luxury speeder arrived at the Naberrie Villa, and stopped just in front of the front door, kicking up a small cloud of dust from the cobblestone pathway. Padmé squinted towards the front door, which slid open to reveal her mother and sister. The young Princess of Naboo felt happy to see her family again, but she still felt uneasy from the recent events that nearly killed her family and closest friends. Six months earlier, hitmen likely sent by King Veruna had nearly killed her childhood friend Eirtaé, and placed her in a coma for a few months before she awoke. Also, her father had a temporary coma from his injuries before he awoke in the Lake Country Medical Center. Fortunately, Padmé was told that her father would soon be released because of his recovery.

"Welcome home, Padmé," Sola greeted her sister, and hugged her with both her prosthetic arm and her natural arm.

"I'm so happy to see that you're alright," Jobal tenderly spoke as she paced to the speeder, with her arms outstretched for a hug by her daughter.

Padmé exited the speeder with her travel bag and stopped on the front yard pathway to embrace her mother. Behind her, the five handmaidens stepped out of the speeder to unpack their handbags in the back compartment with casual chatter. Jobal turned her gaze to the handmaidens, and she knew that most of them were new friends of her daughter. The Naberrie woman decided to later treat her guests and daughters with a meal. She said, "Welcome back, all of you. I hope we can get familiar with each other."

"Come inside... I'll prepare my special pastries. The recipe is from Padmé's grandmother, Mistress Ryoo Thule," Jobal added, and led Padmé into the foyer of the Naberrie villa.

"Sounds great, Miss Naberrie," Rabé said, and Yané nodded as she set her hand bag on the cobblestone ground.

"Same here, I'm getting hungry," Saché said.

As the speeder departed with a hum, the other handmaidens followed Sabé, Eirtaé, and their Princess into the villa, and gawked at the elaborate main hallway. As seen by Anakin a few years earlier, the busts of past Naberries laid on the sides of the hallway, and colorful carpeting covered the dark wood floors.

"Amazing decor, Miss Naberrie," Yané said, as she gazed at the marble sculptures in awe.

"It's not much of a surprise if you often visit the place, Yané," Eirtaé commented.

"Yeah, this is our first time here. None of us Eccio House members have visited the Naberrie villa before, so we might not be a familiar with this place as you," Rabé explained to Eirtaé while looking at her.

"Well, I don't have a problem with you both coming here, so help yourselves out. Though, I could show you both around the villa later," Eirtaé said in a quieter tone.

"That's fine, a tour would help, I'm already confused by the twelve different doors along the hallway," Rabé calmly replied, and continued walking with Yané down the hallway.

"By the way, Rabé, Yané... the guest bedrooms are in the back of the main hall," Eirtaé informed them, and tuned back towards the kitchen to aid her friend Padmé in cooking the delicious pastries.

"We're starting to prepare lunch for all of us," Jobal called from the kitchen.

"Okay, Miss Naberrie, thanks for the favor," Rabé cheerfully replied, and walked with her fellow Eccio down the hallway.

The two arrived at a bronze metal door, and opened it to reveal a room with two bunk beds framed with Zaela tree wood. Between the two bunk beds, a small wooden cabinet stood. Rabé and Yané set their travel bags upon the floor and began to unpack. Both Eccio House girls felt grateful for the kind treatment they received from the Naberries, and wondered why they had been targeted by the Nabooian radicals almost one year ago.

A few minutes passed, and the Eccio girls completely unpacked their belongings. They looked each other in the eye and wondered what to do while waiting for their meal. Rabé shook her head in disapproval when Yané unhooked her chrome lightsaber from the utility belt on her civilian clothing.

"Practicing lightsabers? Just wait for a while. Maybe, if they have a yard, we could practice our lightsaber forms in it later," Rabé said.

In response, Yané said, "So, I guess that we're supposed to meditate, just as Father reminded us before?"

Rabé replied, "Uh, sure, our connection to the Force needs some practice. Who even knows what may happen to Padmé and whenever our Force powers are needed for our duties?"

"Right," Yané said, as she looked up at her sister and clipped her lightsaber back onto her belt.

Then, both Nabooian girls closed their eyes and sank into a meditative trance to allow their spirits to sink deeper into the Netherworld of the Force. A blissful feeling similar to floating in an endless sea immersed their senses. They quickly started to feel the strands of the Force hum with energy and flow like water through their surroundings. Both girls stretched with their Force senses and felt their auras emitting energy. They felt the signatures of Padmé, her sister, and her mother. Upon closer examination, the younger Naberrie girl and Princess of Naboo radiated a yellow-tinted aura mixed with gray.

" _Should we talk with Padmé? She is obviously troubled from her father's injuries and the attempts on her relatives' lives,_ " Rabé asked her sister.

" _Sure, but that could wait until sometime after meditation,_ " Yané replied.

The subject of the worries that Padmé faced was put aside as the Rabé and Yané sank deeper into their meditation. In the kitchen, Jobal kneaded the bread, and reached for a bottle containing berry filling. Eirtaé, who wore an apron, watched the EM oven cook slices of raw Naboo fish. Padmé, beside Sola, helped her prepare a cheesy pasta topped with spicy peppers.

"I might need some herbs for the pasta, little sister," Sola requested as she mixed the pasta with the cheesy paste.

Padmé handed over a handful of green leafy herbs to Sola, who tossed them in the bowl and furiously stirred with a wooden ladle.

"It's my second time cooking, Sola, I'm not sure if I can handle this," Padmé spoke and vacantly stared at the bowls of varying ingredients.

"I felt the same during my first few times learning how to cook, so don't worry. It's actually very routine like lawmaking," Sola reassured Padmé.

"Yeah, you just follow some kind of written sequence of steps. Put this amount of salt, and so on..." Padmé said during a quick glance at a datapad displaying the recipe.

Eventually, the Naberries in the kitchen with Eirtaé finished the pasta and pastries, the aromas lifting into the air and boosting their appetite. Jobal smiled at both Eirtaé and her daughters, and patted them on the shoulders. She commented, "Great work, girls, you might be cooking for me someday." Upon hearing the comment, Eirtaé grinned with pride in her culinary work, with the bread toasted a tanned brown.

Scoffing, Sola said, "Oh please, Mother, I've only been doing this for two years, and you've got decades of experience."

"Not to ruin the pleasant mood, but what about Father?" Padmé asked her mother after setting the last plate on the wooden table in the dining room.

Jobal shrugged, and Sola muttered, "I'm unsure about that."

"I guess we'll have to wait until the Medical Center releases him today. It might be during 5:00, as I heard from your father this morning," Jobal answered, and began to pull out the chairs around the table.

"We could speak to him about Dormé, who's a key witness of the attackers," Eirtaé suggested.

"Maybe that broken transmitter that you gave back to her may help uncover the mystery of the attack's planner, and maybe the Sith Lord too," Padmé added, resting her head on the palm of her hand.

"If we could crack the cached data within it, then Veruna is bantha fodder," Eirtaé mused, before a chime sounded from the main hall. Jobal reached out into the Force and felt the presence of a familiar person. Outside the door stood a blonde, blue-eyed teenage boy in a bluish-gray uniform. He tapped his foot as he awaited the Naberries to open the door.

"Padmé, I'm certain that it's your friend in the Naboo Engineering Corps," she said.

Eirtaé and Padmé wiped off their hands with a towel, and accompanied each other to the villa entrance.

"Padmé, are you sure that the guest is your friend Anakin? The agents use Force-scrambling charms, you know,"

Her friend felt a trace of fear flutter within, and she firmly gripped the lightsaber in her pocket. Padmé steeled her nerves and opened the door to see Anakin Skywalker in the Nabooian military uniform.

"Hello, angel, it's been a while," Anakin greeted.

"Good to see you again, _Ani,_ " Padmé responded, and hugged her friend. She soon noticed that her head barely went above the tops of his shoulders, as military training had boosted his heightening.

"By the way, Anakin, we're finished with a batch of pasta and Miss Naberrie's pastries for our lunch. Help yourself... _sir,_ " Eirtaé said with a grin.

Anakin smirked back at the blonde handmaiden, and said, "Hello to you to _ma'am_."

The blond Naboo girl playfully slapped him on the shoulder, and slyly said, "Apparently, you need to work on talking with the opposite sex."

"Cut it out, both of you, can we just enjoy lunch and probably focus on what to do about Veruna?" Padmé said in exasperation. The recent attacks on her family still bothered her, and she felt that it was foolish to focus on small issues such as the social awkwardness of Anakin Skywalker.

"Yes, Your Highness," Eirtaé responded, and turned around to walk back to the dining room, unaware of the glare she received from Padmé.

Anakin immediately took off his grimy boots and placed them outside the door before entering the Naberrie home. His feet felt cool on the stone tiled floor, and he instantly smelled a delicious aroma from the kitchen. He instantly recognized the aroma as that of the Naberrie family recipe pastries and pasta. The gnawing emptiness in his stomach increased, and he walked faster down the hall and turned left though a doorway. He found a familiar room with lavender walls and large windows facing central Theed, with the spires of the Royal Palace visible in the distance. Among the scene were Sola and Jobal seated together on some side seats along the wooden table, chattering about romantic advice.

Both Anakin and Padmé seated themselves across from Sola and Jobal, while Eirtaé seated herself on the seat normally taken by Ruwee, but Jobal paid no attention. Interrupting their previous conversation, Sola looked up and greeted Anakin with a wink, and Jobal nodded at him for her greeting.

"Hello Miss Naberrie, hello Sola, thanks for the lunch," Anakin greeted, then biting into the warm pastry on his plate.

"Not a problem, Anakin," Jobal said, and slurped in tendrils of pasta.

"My mother still makes good pasta, right?" Sola asked Anakin.

"Well, I'll try it with this red pepper here..." Anakin said, before consuming a mouthful of pasta and a bite of the famed Nabooian pepper.

Sola and Padmé stared at Anakin with wide eyes as Anakin Skywalker casually swallowed the tongue-searing mixture of spiced pasta without a sweat.

"Wow, Anakin... guess the military must've trained you to eat with a straight face," Eirtaé commented, raising an eyebrow.

"It's not a problem, Eirtaé... I can handle anything-"

Anakin soon burst out a raspy cough, and quickly gulped down a glass of shaak milk with teary eyes. He took more bites out of his pastry, and soon finished it in four minutes. Still panting from the heat of the pepper, Anakin refilled his glass of shaak milk and drank it half empty, then wiping his watery eyes with his napkin.

The Skywalker boy mumbled, "Never min' 'bout my last comment."

Sola laughed along with Eirtaé as Jobal chuckled, and she said, "You know, you didn't have to eat those peppers."

Anakin coughed again, and said, "Yeah, thanks for the advice-" He coughed, and continued, "I should try less of these Sith peppers."

The doorway to the dining room opened, and Rabé, Yané, and Saché entered to take their seats along Eirtaé after Anakin and Padmé left their seats. They said to Jobal, "Thanks for the pastries and pasta, Miss Naberrie." The other handmaidens began to enjoy their meal.

"Not a problem, ladies," Jobal said, as she moved her plate to the dishwasher.

"Mother, can we go see Father yet?" Padmé asked Jobal, who had finished her last bite of her lunch.

"Wait just a few minutes, dear. I need to find the public transport schedule first," Jobal said, as she left her seat and walked into her room to find her datapad. Bumps and clangs could be heard from within the room. After a few moments, Jobal projected her voice down the hallway, and spoke, "The hover taxi arrives at 4:30, Padmé."

"Alright Mother. I hope that we will be able to talk with Father and Dormé, they might help us track the attacks' mastermind." Padmé said.

"I understand, Padmé, we _will_ find the culprit for the sake of justice," Jobal firmly said, as she exited her room, dressed in a brown cloak.

"Thanks, Mother," Padmé spoke, and turned to face Anakin. She held his hand, and asked Anakin, "Ani, try to use your senses to look out for any threats, okay? I just lack the ability of Foresight, despite my Shatterpoint ability in battle."

"Of course, I would do anything to ensure that my friends are safe," Anakin said, and comforted Padmé by holding her other hand.

 _(After the taxi ride)_

After the journey through Theed, the hover taxi arrived along the curb by the Theed Medical Center, unloading the passengers: The esteemed Naberrie family, handmaiden Eirtaé, and military engineer Anakin Skywalker. Sabé, Rabé, Yané, and Saché had stayed behind, because Jobal had told them that Eirtaé could easily handle threats with her training in the Force and that of a Royal Handmaiden. Eirtaé and Padmé walked to the desk where a lone droid sat in front of a holographic console.

"The droid asked, "Welcome to Theed Medical Center. I may need a first name to find you both your patient to visit."

"Dormé and Ruwee," Padmé answered with a straight face, despite her feelings of uneasiness about the safety of her family.

Within the waiting room, dozens of Nabooians glanced at her, as she was the famed Naboo Princess. As she had appeared on holographic broadcasts multiple times, the people of Naboo easily recognized her face. Padmé knew she was being watched, so she attempted to keep a straight face to preserve her outer image of a strong-headed and confident Royal Princess. However, she felt far from confident, but instead fearful for her family and friends under the threat of a hidden Sith Lord and the psychotic King Veruna. Already she began to feel a tugging from her two sides: duty and family. She began to feel weary from having to hide her true self and her true feelings from sight everyday she adorned herself with her royal robes. To add to her inner burden, the weight of the entire population of Naboo rested on her shoulders, the shoulders of a teenage girl who had sacrificed a peaceful, normal life. Despite her uncertainty, Padmé still had to bring attackers of her family to justice and to create a safer world for her family and people.

"Just a minute, ma'am," the droid replied, and tapped on a touch console.

"Room 216, and Room 217," the droid said, and then added, "That will be fifty Republic credits, unless-"

Padmé held out a silver chip, which the droid scanned, and then blinked in surprise. The droid pointed its hands to the turbolift door, and said, "Sorry, Your Highness, you may continue on."

The Naberries went up the turbolift with their blonde handmaiden, and arrived at level two a moment later to search the hallway for Ruwee and Dormé. Soon, they reached the doors marked "217" and "216", and Jobal looked expectantly at her daughters and softly spoke, "Try not to agitate your father, he's just had an operation from his injuries and been through a months-long recovery and rehab."

Padmé felt a chill down her spine, and looked at her mother. " _Operation... rehab, oh Force,_ " she thought.

Sola pressed a button beside the door, which slid open to reveal Ruwee sitting in bed with a weary smile upon his slightly wrinkled face. Sola then looked down to see his legs... made of glistening durasteel. Eirtaé and Padmé stood shocked at the sight, and Sola bowed her head in slight sadness, since Ruwee had lost his legs.

"It's not really a surprise, your Father suffered serious injuries..." Jobal whispered to her daughters, and placed her hands on the shoulders of her youngest daughter.

"What happened to your legs, Father?" Padmé said.

"The explosion damaged some nerve tissue, so my legs were amputated. It took a while, but I got accustomed to these." Ruwee said, and pointed to his prosthetic legs.

"I'm so sorry about your legs-"

Ruwee interjected, "Hush, daughter, it's nothing but a flesh wound to me. It will definitely take more than an explosion to put this Naberrie down, and I've faced worse trials. Don't feel sorry for me, Padmé. Feel happy that I survived."

"In all of my forty-seven years of life, giving up is not my specialty," Ruwee added.

"Oh. Nice to see that you've recovered completely, Father," Padmé said in a lighter tone.

"Thanks, daughter. Now I must comfort your mother," her father replied.

With a grunt, Ruwee got out of his bed to hug Jobal, and walked on his prosthetic legs with little difficulty. His wife started to tear up in happiness in his embrace.

"Honey," Ruwee whispered into her ear.

Jobal hummed in satisfaction at being able to embrace her husband after six months apart. She mumbled, "My Ru..."

"Your father is a very brave and strong man, Padmé," Eirtaé told Padmé.

"He's the kind of person who hardly goes down without a fight, especially facing people who might be working for that scoundrel Veruna," Padmé harshly spoke.

Ruwee and Jobal looked at Padmé, and patted her on the back. Ruwee proposed, "Don't fret, daughter. He'll be dealt with soon. We could ask the Rieren Elders to send a party to apprehend him. As a Force Sensitive of Naboo, he is technically under the jurisdiction of the Rieren Society."

"Not quite, Ru. Veruna is still the King of Naboo, and any of his guards and staff would pursue him, making matters difficult," Jobal countered.

"So what can we do, Jo'?" her husband questioned.

"I suggest that we use the communicator that Dormé has as evidence: it could prove that Veruna called the attacks. If possible, we could ask a slicer to crack into the comlink's data storage," Padmé suggested.

"Padmé is correct in her proposal, Mister Naberrie and Miss Naberrie, comlink devices automatically store the last few calls made with them," Anakin commented with a grin.

"I've spent time messing with devices like these. I'm a decent Royal Engineer, so cracking these will be like a walk by Varykino Lake," Anakin added, and he rubbed his hands in anticipation.

"That plan could easily work," Ruwee agreed.

"Very clever," his wife commented.

"Now, we need to get Dormé, and stop Veruna's schemes, along with the unknown Sith Lord's manipulation," Padmé firmly said.

"Mind if we accompany you, Padmé?" Jobal said, while holding hands with her husband.

"It's okay, just stay outside until I'm finished speaking with my handmaiden with my friend, Anakin," Padmé replied.

"Just stay safe, Padmé, that's all we desire," Jobal said as she hugged her youngest daughter.

 _(Room 216)_

Dormé gazed at her datapad, as she read the latest issue of _Theed Times_ , and wore a worried expression. Despite being reassured by the investigations that Veruna undertook, she felt that the Naberries were still in danger even after the attacks called on them. Distracting her from her thoughts, the door beeped, and a familiar voice spoke.

"Dormé? It's me, Padmé. I have so much to tell you," her mistress spoke from behind the door.

The handmaiden opened the door with a gesture of her hand, and greeted, "Good to see you again, Padmé. When i heard about the attacks, I feared that the worst might have happened to your family."

"Oh, we still survived in good condition, but my father lost his legs," Padmé quietly said, and she lowered her head in sadness. She sat on the side of the hospital bed and rested her chin in her hands.

"Sorry to hear that, Padmé," Dormé said, and she leaned over to put an arm around the shoulder of her mistress.

"Thanks, Dormé, I just feel so disturbed over nearly losing my family, and the fact that a Sith Lord might be utilizing my hard-fought efforts for some twisted scheme. Will my aspirations be in vain?"

The handmaiden sat silent for a moment, and thought about the words of her friend. She then said, "No, you are more than a pawn, Padmé. At the age of sixteen, you have reached the position as Princess of Naboo, and you are about to become Queen... from you hard work. No one outside your family thought that you would become Princess. You are a fighter, and many people like you live to fight off the darkness everyday. Thanks to figures like you, people find hope in the future, so you're not alone in your pursuit of Veruna. But it's okay to be sometimes vulnerable for a warrior. Just tell me what else is disturbing you."

"My father has been maimed for life, and is only half of a man. On top of that, I have to lie to my constituents about my identity. Am I some vulnerable little girl, or a strong, intelligent leader as they see on Naboo News? It's all because I am worried for my family under the threat of Veruna, and I'm often forced to abandon them for my duty. I hate to admit this, but I'm a hypocrite."

"That's mostly true, Padmé, but I'm not perfect. Nor you. No person or alien in this galaxy is perfect, so don't hate yourself for that," Dormé said.

The handmaiden gestured for Eirtaé, who wore an expression of concern for Padmé, to leave them alone in their consolation. Eirtaé hesitantly departed the room, and looked back once before the door slid shut to isolate Anakin, Padmé, and Dormé. Dormé turned back to face her mistress and friend.

"Now we all are hypocrites, since we break our own promises and make mistakes. That's a truth of life, and I hope that you understand that. Just keep moving forward. Even with two broken legs, I still held onto this for you. I know how fierce your desire for justice is, friend," Dormé continued, and reached into her bedside drawer to pull out a bent silvery device. Anakin raised an eyebrow in wonder. Padmé gasped and said, "The communicator."

"Of course, I held onto this for you," her handmaiden spoke.

The young Princess of Naboo hesitantly took the communicator from the palm of her friend.

Anakin asked, "Not to disturb you both, but when can we begin the decryption of this device? I am eager to see that psychopath be imprisoned for trying to kill my friend and her family."

Dormé cleared her throat, and Anakin looked at her. He gazed at Dormé for a moment and hastily added, "Uh, handmaidens too."

"Yes, Anakin, but first we must figure out the appropriate times to work on this device and how to use the evidence for our allegation that Veruna called the attacks," Padmé said.

"Maybe whenever I'm on break hours, I could work on cracking the encryption on that comlink. Give me a month, and I can easily get you the recorded messages," her close friend said with a smile.

"Thanks, Anakin," Padmé said.

"If we expose King Veruna, we can easily reveal his involvement in the attack and make him abdicate the throne. Then, I'll repair the damage he has done upon Naboo, such as the poverty that he has ignored. Even before that, I can prepare the argument to prosecute him," Padmé enthusiastically added.

Anakin stroked his hair for a moment and spoke, "True, and you would become the immediate successor of King Veruna, and then we can interrogate him in prison to find out more about the dangerous Sith Lord."

"So what role do I play?" Dormé asked.

"Just act normal so that Veruna is not suspicious. Surprise will be the main element of our plan," Padmé suggested.

"Yeah, of course I need a break from facing off angry lunatics in metal suits," Dormé wryly commented.

Padmé laughed at the humorous comment of her loyal handmaiden, and gestured for Anakin to sit on the bed. Soon, the three engaged in further conversation about how to expose the dark deeds of the corrupt ruler of Naboo and the hidden Sith.


	12. Tension

_Palpatine Estate, Lake Country, Naboo_

Sheev Palpatine, the Senator of Naboo and Sith Apprentice Sidious, stepped into the halls of the Palpatine estate. Suddenly, he felt a cold wind flow through the marble hallway, rustling the plants in their vases. A tall, imposing figure shrouded in a black cloak stepped into the hallway, and peered at Palpatine with yellow eyes.

"Apprentice Sidious, to what extent has your manipulation of Veruna and the Trade Federation's politics have pitifully run short? I've heard that the Naberries are still alive... how disappointing," the figure spoke.

Sidious felt a force push him against the side wall with a thump. In a daze, the Sith apprentice saw the cloaked figure of the current Sith Lord, Darth Plagueis, slowly step towards him. The frustrated Sith Lord stretched his hand out and partially closed his fingers. The apprentice began to gasp for breath, and said with difficulty, "Veruna has appointed me as Senator, Master."

"What else? You might as well realize that failure is unacceptable." growled the Sith Lord, and he inched his fingers closer.

The unseen force tightened on his neck, and Sidious barely grit out, "The news... of the attacks... worked to our advantage." After a moment under the doubtful gaze of his master, he felt the force loosen around his neck. His knees buckled, and he panted for air. Darth Plagueis stepped around his apprentice, and took a deep breath. His apprentice must not be killed if he were to succeed in gaining dominance over the galaxy. Perhaps his loyal apprentice had thought of some idea for the plan to succeed.

"How did it give us such an advantage?" Sith Lord Plagueis asked, circling his apprentice in a slow pace.

"The news has solidified Veruna's position as our puppet King for Naboo. Recently, he has erased all evidence of our involvement and his scheme to assassinate the Naberrie family. Now the news has only created a greater need for national security, so the negotiations will be more aggressive with the Trade Federation." Sidious said.

"Tell me more, my apprentice," Plagueis inquired, his eyes glowing brighter yellow with an eager gaze. Still, Sidious felt a trace of the crushing force around his neck.

"From the news, the tensions between Naboo and Cato Nemoidia are increasing. We can manipulate Veruna or the Naberrie girl to spark tensions to cause a Naboo versus Trade Federation war, thus giving us a chance to gain influence in the vulnerable Senate," the apprentice specified, earning a silent moment from his Sith master.

"Excellent, but mistakes _cannot_ be tolerated. Make sure that the Naberries are not a threat. Our plan requires the _precision_ and _patience_ of a Sarlacc," the Sith Lord firmly added, and suddenly crushed a marble bust into powder with the Force. Stone fragments exploded outward and littered the floor with a loud clattering noise.

"I understand, Master," Sidious said, trembling in fear underneath his cloak.

The Muun Sith Lord smiled and stoically spoke, "Good. Now, push King Veruna to cut ties with the Trade Federation, as they have been 'ripping off' Nabooian finances and spreading corrupt gang activity, as I have heard. Now, go and do so without _any_ mistakes in order to keep your head intact."

"Yes, Master," Sidious said with a bow.

The Sith apprentice followed his Master into the corridors of the Palpatine estate. Outside, the wind blew gently outside, and dry leaves rustled across the front courtyard. In the sky, the Naboo sun began to sink into the horizon, illuminating the mansion, which had a light flickering on within a window of a meeting room. Soon, the Sith would start the next phase of their clever scheme to gain power over the galaxy.

 _Naberrie Villa, Theed, Naboo_

After Ruwee and Dormé had been released from the medical center, he joined the rest of the Naberries in a hover taxi ride home. Still, he worried for the safety of his daughter, and doubted if he had made the correct decision to let his daughter pursue politics. Because of his decision, his family had been close to extermination by Veruna and the anonymous Sith Lord. But Ruwee knew that if he abandoned the quest to find justice for Veruna, then more people would suffer just as his family had. Ruwee felt anger blaze in his heart, as he realized how cowardly his thoughts were. "No, I cannot give up... for the sake of my family and my homeplanet. I am the head of the Naberrie House, and _nothing_ makes a Naberrie back down," Ruwee reminded himself.

Ruwee, like Padmé, still refused to give up the struggle to fix the wrongs of the galaxy regardless of how painful a hardship could be. A tap on his shoulder brought his attention, and he turned to face his daughter sitting in the seat adjacent to him.

"I understand how you feel, Father, but even I sometimes feel doubtful about my efforts to help the galaxy. The best we can do is just move on forward, as my friend Dormé said." Padmé spoke.

"Then your friend's a lot wiser then she appears. She's got plenty of determination too, for a young woman like her. She somewhat reminds me of you," Ruwee said.

Padmé considered the words spoken by her father, and finally agreed, "You're right, Father. We just need to take wise choices in times like this. I've looked around the galaxy and Naboo thanks to the Junior Legislator Program, and I've realized that people like me should stay true to their convictions rather than power."

"I'm happy to see you grow up, not only physically, but in mind too. I love you, Padmé," Ruwee warmly spoke.

As Ruwee hugged her, his youngest daughter turned to the sound of her sister speaking. Sola said, "Sister? I need to let you know that we're about to arrive home." She pointed out the window, and both father and daughter looked outside the speeder window. A sign displaying "Naberrie Street" passed by.

"Oh, looks like we should start getting ready, girls," Ruwee said.

The hover taxi carrying the Naberrie couple, their children, and the two handmaidens Dormé and Eirtaé stopped in front of the villa. With a smile, Ruwee handed a handful of credits to the taxi driver, who happily took them.

"Thanks for the tip, Mister Naberrie," the driver said after counting the credits, while the rest of the Naberries and handmaidens exited the transport.

"You're welcome, Driver Marco," Ruwee replied, then closing the door of the taxi, which sped off.

He went to the front door of his villa and unlocked it, and called out, "Anyone home?"

"Just the three of us," Rabé spoke from the living room, and she departed with her fellow handmaidens from the living room to meet Ruwee for the first time.

"Hello, Elder Naberrie, I'm Saché, and this is Yané Eccio, an accomplice of mine," Saché said, pointing her arm at the shorter brunette girl standing next to her.

"Nice to see you, Elder Naberrie," Yané quietly said, and reluctantly shook the outstretched hand of Ruwee Naberrie.

"Same here, Yané Eccio. You're welcome to call me Mister Naberrie, now that we're familiar with each other," the head of the Naberrie family warmly replied.

Saché soon spotted the blonde boy entering the villa with Padmé, and asked, "Mister Naberrie, who's that with Padmé, a boyfriend?"

Anakin turned his head around and grumbled, "She's just a childhood friend, not my girlfriend!"

"I'm sorry, Saché. I forgot to introduce my friend Anakin, a Royal Naboo Engineer working in the Corps," Padmé quickly replied, holding her friend on the arm to restrain him.

"Sorry, Anakin. Anyways, it's good to see you too. Call me Saché ," her friend said to the uniformed blonde boy.

"Yeah, no worries, Saché. Don't mind it," Anakin said, as he stopped struggling against his friend. His cheeks flushed red with embarrassment from the awkward interaction.

Anakin walked deeper into the main hallway, which automatically lit up to illuminate the sculptures and Naberrie busts along the walls. He entered the guest bedroom and pressed a button, which slid the door shut. As Anakin changed out of his uniform into his casual clothing, a knock on the door sounded. Hastily putting on his shirt, Anakin stepped to the door and unlocked it. Then the door slid open, and Anakin saw Padmé in a watery blue dress with a japor snippet, a gift commemorating their friendship.

"Oh, sorry Anakin. I didn't mean to disturb your business," Padmé said, looking down at the trousers that her friend wore, which had shaak images engraved on them.

"It's not a problem, I'm almost done changing out of my uniform," Anakin spoke while putting on his tanned synth fabric pants.

"I just wanted to give you this, because I really need your help with the-"

"Comlink? Sure, not a problem," Anakin continued.

Padmé outstretched her hand, and Anakin gently grabbed the device and stared at it for a fleeting moment. Then, he placed the device in his luggage bag, and closed it. For security purposes, he locked the case with his fingerprint.

"Thanks, Anakin. I really appreciate that. Now, I think that dinner won't be ready until the sixth hour, so I hope that we can share more of our feelings and experiences with each other. It's been a while since we last saw each other," his friend said.

"Sure, let's just talk in the backyard. Just to let you know, it's getting cold outside," Anakin said.

Anakin grabbed two jackets, and gave one to his friend, the Princess of Naboo. While smiling at Anakin, Padmé took the jacket and wore it over her blue dress, and led Anakin to the back door of the villa facing the backyard garden. Upon opening the door, they felt the fall breeze began to blow upon the grass, rustling the leaves of the hedge bushes. Near the edge of the garden overlooking downtown Theed, Padmé sat down on a stone bench, and gestured for her friend to sit with her. The two childhood friends, Skywalker and Naberrie, stared at the lights of speeders flying around the high rises like insects swarming their hives.

"Looks beautiful, right?" Padmé said, putting her hand on the arm of her friend.

"It does, Padmé. The downtown lights remind you of the fullness of life here, not like the empty deserts of Tatooine. At least my mother and I are out of that Force-forsaken place," Anakin spoke, raising up his hood as the wind increased.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through all the troubles of slavery during your childhood, Anakin. I just sometimes wish that I could've found you earlier."

"Well, that's all in the past, and I'm glad that Watto sold us away. Although, I'm confused about how some wealthy man called Sidious let us go only _hours_ after the transfer, I find that as ridiculous as some poorly written Holo-Movie," Anakin said, fidgeting with a leaf in his hand.

"Actually, I'm happy that you were freed, regardless of how so. Now I have you as my closest friend, my someone who understands me as a person. Politics seems to make me withdrawn and cut me off from any company. But my handmaidens make good friends, and I've gotten to somewhat know them," Padmé happily said.

"Thanks. Maybe... I can hear about what's been going on between your handmaidens? Anything interesting happening, or some secrets?"

Padmé sighed, and said, "Not like romantic secrets, but I could tell you about how Sabé enjoys pranking the other handmaidens from time to time."

"Sure," Anakin agreed, gazing at a wilted plant next to the shurra tree that Ruwee had planted years ago.

"Okay, so the story goes like this," Padmé said...

Anakin sat through the entire account of the mishaps that the Princess faced thanks to the mischievous streak of her close friend and handmaiden. While listening to his friend, he was impressed by the speaking skills of his friend. She spoke with a sophisticated vocabulary, and made humorous remarks about her friend as the "Scourge of the wardrobe".

"And since the itch cream incident, Sabé never took a place as the wardrobe manager again," Padmé finished.

After the amusing story, they remained silent until Anakin added, "A lot has happened between us, Padmé, and I just want to admit that I am happy to have you as a close friend. From that day I had first seen you, I have admired you as a strong, caring person who tries her best to do what is right. And because of your company, I've found happiness, something that I could not find in my years of slavery."

"I've felt the same things for you, Pilot Boy. You are a brave person with a good heart, and that's definitely something that we have in common. I love who you are, Anakin, and I just want you to stay true to yourself: the boy that I know and care for. Promise me," Padmé said.

"I promise, Princess," Anakin said with a grin.

Padmé looked up into the blue eyes of her friend, and she grinned back at him. The two friends sat in the stone bench and enjoyed the view of the lights of downtown Theed, a bustling financial hub of the Galaxy. Soon, they realized that dinner time had arrived.

"Padmé, Anakin, dinner's ready!" Jobal called out from behind the back door.

"Okay, Mother," Padmé replied, and sat up from the stone bench, as the last remnants of sunlight faded away from the Naboo sky. Anakin followed her back into the villa as the wind speed increased, as leaves rustled around the garden. Padmé closed the door as Anakin reentered the villa, and felt a rush of warmer air from within the villa.

" _Temperature regulator activated,_ " a robotic voice spoke.

"Your mother has some great cooking, Padmé. I'm really looking forward to dinner," Anakin said.

"Yeah, my mother's been cooking for years, and I can only wonder how she seems to be a galaxy-class chef," Padmé said.

"I'll agree with that, as long as I don't have too much peppers," Anakin joked.

"Don't worry, Anakin. I've told Sola to lay off the Zillo Peppers, which were possibly a prank," Padmé reassured her friend, who sighed in relief.

Sola then exited the kitchen and spotted Padmé and Anakin entering the main hallway in their jackets. "The heater's on, sister, so feel free to take off your jacket. You too, _Ani_ ," she reminded the pair of close friends.

"And by the way, sister, your dinner is getting cold, so you should soon eat up," she added.

"I know, Sola, and you aren't my mother," Padmé said with a smile.

"Well, I'm your older sister who has a handsome boyfriend," Sola playfully taunted back, and Padmé almost frowned, feeling a spark of jealousy. She had nearly reached seventeen years of age, but could not pursue romantic relations as a result of her duties. The possibility of a normal, peaceful life had been thrown away when she had chosen a life of politics. Ironically, people like her ensured that Nabooians lie Sola could enjoy their casual lives without disturbance. Governing her constituents posed as a heavy burden, but an honorable role. As she walked down the hallway with her sister and friend, Padmé inwardly scoffed at the notion of Anakin being her future soulmate.

" _Really, Padmé? Could we live with each other for the rest of our lives, if we truly are soulmates?_ " Anakin asked Padmé through their mental link.

 _"I'm not sure, Anakin. You're my best friend, but I'm not sure about starting a romantic type of relationship, and even then, we're inexperienced in dating and other romantic activities._ "

" _Although I may not have any experience in romance, I do know that if someone deeply cares you to the point of death, then they probably love you,_ " Anakin answered.

" _You're really wise for a person of your age, Anakin. Yes, we do care for each other, yet even if we fell in love, we're still living totally different lives..._ " Padmé observed.

" _You're right, Padmé, such a romance wouldn't work,_ " Anakin agreed.

 _Naboo Royal Palace, Theed_

Veruna swore, "Oh my Force, the emergency state was lifted?"

Unfortunately, Parliament had forced King Veruna to revoke his extra two terms, as the state of emergency had passed. The attacks on the Naberries were labeled as "unsolved cases" for the current situation. To worsen matters, Viceroy Nute Gunray threatened a blockade of Naboo if the Nabooian people broke their treaties and failed to pay their increasing debt to the Trade Federation. Veruna growled in anger. The overpriced imports of materials to build his fleet by the Trade Federation caused the debt and job crisis in the first place. Already, Parliament had lower popularity ratings for his rule.

"That wrinkled space raisin's the cause! Nothing about the crisis has to do with my efforts! I'll show him that Naboo is not to be messed with someday..." Veruna muttered, clenching his fists until his fingers paled.

"Uh, Your Majesty," Ellé spoke.

"More reports on that little green imbecile?" Veruna grumbled.

"The Princess will return early, and arrive tomorrow at 10:00," the handmaiden spoke.

"Acknowledged. Continue, handmaiden."

"I understand your frustrations, Your Majesty, so perhaps we handmaidens could serve you some vintage Nabooian wine? A ruler must allow himself or herself to unwind after the stresses of governing an entire planet..." Ellé continued.

"No thanks, handmaidens. I can unwind myself," Veruna said, and added, "You may retreat to your quarters tonight."

Ars Veruna, the current King of Naboo, began to think about the inevitable replacement of his reign by Princess Amidala. He began to wonder if Palpatine had even helped him, or had used him as a stepping stone. His political power waned, and his reign did not lengthen as promised by his schemes with Palpatine. Was he simply a mere pawn in the game of a hidden figure? Also, had he covered up his tracks well enough concerning the attacks on the Naberries?


	13. Coronation

Another few months passed by as Anakin attempted to crack the encryption of the damaged comlink. Still, he struggled in passing the final level, which had a strange encryption that he could not decode by algorithm. Still, Anakin persevered, as he hardly gave up in the face of adversity. He had learned to meditate, and had saved his friend from a fiery doom through a Force vision. He had helped and accompanied his friend Padmé for years. A little device should not be much trouble for a rising engineering star and Force-user like him, especially on the day before the coronation of his friend Padmé Naberrie Amidala.

"Stupid comlink... just tell me your secrets. I can't fail my friend and her family, they are depending on me!" Anakin thought, as he reconnected a wire to the inner microchip of the comlink.

A beeping sound sounded from his computer console, and the same message displayed **Status: DECRYPTION INCOMPLETE**. With a frustrated groan, Anakin slammed shut his toolbox, and sipped again from his cup of caf. Laying his head in his hands, while staring towards the neon-bluish holographic display, Anakin still continued to search his mind for yet another solution to the enigma of the comlink. The decrypted portion of the data read as a string of squiggled characters.

" _Think outside the box, Anakin. What would a brilliant King of Naboo use to encrypt his devices?_ " he mentally asked himself.

" _Perhaps some ancient Naboo script used by the royals?_ " Anakin wondered, and searched a catalogue of Nabooian alphabets.

Tapping quickly on a keyboard connected to the computer terminal, Anakin programmed a script to cross compare the Ancient Naboo Script with the squiggled characters of the snippet. Looking again at the five character-long snippet flashing on the holographic screen of his computer, Anakin squinted at his script and then the snippet for a few moments.

"Should finish in a short enough time... hopefully not longer than the life of a Sarlacc," Anakin muttered.

With trembling fingers, he pressed the enter button upon the console, which ran the script. A cascade of characters ran down the console and almost immediately, a green prompt flashed: **MATCH FOUND.** Anakin looked at the screen, and dismissed the prompt. Then, he analyzed the information that his script had deciphered from the decoded data. The info dump read: "Nabooian Script detected." The young, brilliant engineer realized that the characters were numerals, and muttered, "These characters must spell out the digits of a special number used to decode the data."

Soon, the number discovered within the Nabooian royal characters appeared as " **0x4D2** ".

"Aha, hexadecimal, it's what droid instruction code boils down to..." Anakin happily mused.

He entered the number into a hexadecimal decoder and it outputted the number: " **1234** ".

Anakin sighed in relief, slumping back into his chair. After sipping his caf beverage, he typed "1234" into his note app, and deactivated his computer. Perhaps another day of work would reveal the secrets of the comlink. Luckily, the comlink data had not been erased by the royal agents, allowing him to work on unlocking the messages within. Soon, Veruna would be exposed, and he would finally pay for his vile deeds.

"Ani? Breakfast is ready," Shmi called from the dining room.

"Okay, Mother," Anakin replied.

The young Naboo Military Engineer entered a small oval-shaped room with a wooden table, where Shmi took a seat. Around the table stood four chairs, and each of them had a plush cushion upon the seat. With a smile of delight, Anakin sat in the chair next to his mother, just as a golden protocol droid walked in.

"Hello, Mistress Shmi and Master Anakin. I am C-3PO, programmed in casual services and six million forms of communication. How may I be of service?"

"C-3PO, we would appreciate a Nabooian fruit pie for breakfast. And, whenever I have time, I'll try to improve your leg servos later," Anakin spoke, his feelings at ease from his successful decryption and the fact that his creation functioned perfectly.

"Of course, Master Anakin," C-3PO said, and he tottered to the food dispenser to pull out a frozen fruit pie. Then, the droid unwrapped the pie with ease and placed it in the EM oven for a few minutes. By his programming, C-3PO decided to start a casual conversation with Anakin Skywalker, as the droid felt curious about human behavior.

"So, Master Anakin, how has today been?" the droid asked.

"Great, my project on some data decryption has been a success. Perhaps a major personal accomplishment, as I've never decoded Naboo Royal Encryption before," Anakin answered as he drank synth milk, while his mother ate a small bread roll and sipped caf.

"Nice to hear that Anakin. Humans seem to enjoy personal accomplishments, which give them a sense of happiness. It's good for emotional health." C-3PO observed.

"Thanks, Doctor 3PO, but I'm not sure if I've uploaded a sociology program into you memory," Anakin teased.

"Doctor? That doesn't compute well..." the confused droid said, and glanced at the EM oven.

"Never mind, 3PO, I just figuratively compared you to a sociologist," Anakin spoke with a chuckle.

"Alright, Master Anakin," 3PO spoke as he removed the fruit pie from the EM oven, still baffled by the figurative speech about him.

"Enjoy your meal," the gold-plated droid added, as he set the plate upon the table for Anakin and his mother.

As Anakin consumed his pie slice, he thought of mentally messaging his friend Padmé in order to gain ideas to decipher the remainder of the data. Yet she was busy with the duties of governing her people alongside the King of Naboo and trying to spy on him to gain more incriminating evidence. Also, she had to act oblivious to his earlier scheme to attack the Naberries. So Anakin decided that he would not ask Padmé for help, as she had no knowledge of engineering or data decryption. Additionally, Padmé already had plenty of burdens as the Princess, the Naberrie heiress, and a Force-user. If she lost herself to anger and power, she could fall to the Dark Side and destroy herself.

 _Royal Palace, Theed, Naboo_

Padmé Amidala stared out the window to a high-rise two kilometers away: it was the home of her friend. She could only wonder if he was doing fine without any troubles, especially with his first project: C-3PO. The gold plated protocol droid, which had been constructed a month ago as a secret project, only served as a servant. Yet the droid would often annoy Anakin with his literal sense of human speech. Idioms and jokes never went understood by C-3PO. She continued to gaze at the high-rise where her friend resided, and could feel a trace of the Force presence of Anakin.

" _Anakin..._ " Padmé called, as she reached out her consciousness to her friend through the web of the Force.

Anakin finished his Naboo berry pie, and noticed a tendril of a Force presence touching his. It called for his name in a tender female voice, the soul voice of Padmé. The blonde boy walked to the window overlooking Old Theed, and he stared at a spire of the Royal Palace, and sensed that she stood there.

" _Yes, Padmé?_ " Anakin asked.

" _How are you? How's the comlink cracking?_ " Padmé asked through the mental link.

" _Great! I've managed to find the base number just this morning,_ " Anakin cheerfully replied.

" _That's nice to hear about, Anakin. Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it, so just take your time,_ " Padmé replied, and Anakin felt a wave of gratitude wash over him.

" _Not a problem, milady, and congrats on being elected for the throne,_ " Anakin joked, hearing a sigh of exasperation from the other side of the link.

" _Thanks, sir,_ " Padmé humorously responded with a smile, before closing the link.

Padmé snapped out of her trance, and noticed footsteps approaching her. She widened her eyes as her senses screamed danger as the presence drew closer. She stood straight and looked down at the flowers below her window to avoid unwanted suspicion. Still, the footsteps got louder, and the presence appeared to glow with happiness. Then, Padmé turned around and noticed Ellé walking to her with a grin, while holding a chrome-plated Royal Lightsaber hilt in her right hand.

"So, your Highness, I'm going to be your Royal Handmaiden once you become Queen?" Ellé asked.

"Yes, Ellé . Once Veruna abdicates from his two term limit, you'll become my secondary handmaiden."

"I understand, Princess Naberrie Amidala, it'll be a pleasure working for you!" the handmaiden happily said, levitating her lightsaber hilt above her hand in a spin.

"Sure, it will be, and I'll try to fix the things wrong with my planet, such as the Trade Federation scams. I assure that, handmaiden," Padmé reassured her soon-to-be handmaiden, who still worked for Veruna at the moment.

Ellé nodded in agreement. Although she supported many of the political views of Veruna, she disapproved of his methods to keep power. The handmaiden still felt happy to become a servant of Amidala. Despite disagreeing with most of her political views, she admired her convictions of right and wrong and her determined nature.

"By the way, may I ask you one question?" Padmé asked the handmaiden, who nodded yes.

"Where has Veruna gone?" the Princess of Naboo asked her soon-to-be hired handmaiden.

"He's in a meeting with Parliament to break the plasma mining contract with the Trade Federation, since he's sick of their scams of the Naboo people. I've heard rumors that Senator Palpatine told him to do it... good suggestion there," Ellé said.

"Ellé, thanks for the information," Padmé said before walking down a corridor to her quarters. The young princess felt confused. How could Veruna suddenly turn his back on his position allowing corrupt dealings?

" _Did such a Sith Lord orchestrate a plan to influence Veruna? Is there even a Sith Lord?_ " Padmé wondered as she walked back to her quarters.

Upon arriving to her quarters, she was greeted by her two closest friends, Sabé and Eirtaé, who helped her change robes. As they attempted to fasten the golden hair bracelet in the flowing curly hair of Padmé, a knock on the door sounded. "Princess Padmé?" Dormé, now recovered from her injuries and finished with rehab, eagerly asked.

"You may come in, Dormé," Padmé said, opening the door with a wave of her right hand.

As her handmaiden stepped through the door, Sabé stepped over to her and hugged her fellow handmaiden. "Welcome back, Dormé," she said with tears of joy. "It's been a while, glad to see you all again," Dormé replied with a smile, thinking of how her sisters in duty felt while she was absent.

"Nice to see you return," Eirtaé said, finishing the fastening of the hair bracelet upon Padmé.

"Thanks, Eirtaé," Dormé said, and she stepped over to embrace her fellow royal handmaiden. Not often did she hug any of her friends, as she had been raised by her parents to handle most issues or life events herself, but she did not mind helping her friends find comfort. She possessed a fierce, protective nature, and fought whenever possible in order to ensure the safety of her mistress. Such traits had earned her the title of Royal Handmaiden to Princess and future Queen Padmé Amidala.

"So how have you been, Dormé? Have the treatments of your legs gone well? How about the rehab?" Padmé asked her friend and loyal handmaiden, who looked at her with a content expression.

"I'm alright, Padmé. About the rehab of my legs, I regained the strength of my leg muscles in less than two months," Dormé spoke, and lifted her orange robe skirt to show her lower legs. Upon close looks, her legs showed no scars and were athletically built, thanks to immersion in a bacta tank.

"Wow. Looks like medical technology has advanced much further in Naboo than I expected," Padmé commented, upon seeing the healed condition of her handmaiden.

"Looks like I'll also be able to serve you as one of your secondary handmaidens once you become Queen," Dormé said.

Padmé smiled again, and said, "Yes, Dormé, I'm also looking forward to that, and I hope you will enjoy you time with all six of us. We're not complete without you, Dormé, and we'd never leave you in hardships. Whatever we face, even psychotic kings and hidden Sith Lords, we face them... together."

"Thanks, Princess Padmé. Your words really help," Dormé said, hugging her friend and mistress.

Later, during his evening workout, Veruna narrowed his eyes as he heard faint traces of synthesizer music and laughter echo down the corridor of the King and Princess quarters. He scoffed. The Nabooians would regret electing an underage girl into office as their Queen.

 _(The next day)_

The day started like any other Naboo spring day, the second day of the fourth Nabooian month, with Princess Padmé and her loyal servants asleep in bed. Apparently, she had participated in a late night party with all of her handmaidens to celebrate her final day as Princess. A few empty glass bottles on the floor and the ruffled blankets of the Princess and her six primary handmaidens laid as plentiful evidence. Along the window facing downtown Theed, a painting rested on the floor in two torn pieces. All remained silent until Sabé rose from her bed with a groan, rubbing her eyes.

The handmaiden and Pelare House heiress got out of her bed and dressed up into her handmaiden ceremonial mantle and shawl, which were dyed with a bright yellow. After a few minutes of adjusting the dress, she rinsed her mouth and brushed her teeth. Surprisingly, the other handmaidens still failed rise from their slumber, as they had drank blossom wine.

Sabé, with an exasperated sigh, walked over to her handmaidens curled up in their beds and opened the curtains.

"Wake up, Eirtaé, Rabé, Yané, and the rest of you! It's Padmé's coronation day, so you all can't miss the ceremony time!" Sabé said, causing the handmidens to stir and mumble expletives in Nabooian.

Eirtaé moaned, and mumbled, "You're not my Princess, or my Queen."

Sabé grimaced, annoyed at the attitude of her hungover friend, and said, "Well you're not the 'Queen' of your duties too. You're letting your _best friend_ down."

"Alright, fine," her blonde friend mumbled, and managed to free herself from her bed to walk to the dressing room along with her fellow handmaidens.

Sabé quickly realized that Padmé still had not woken up, so she decided to enter the bedroom of her friend. When she attempted to open the door, she found that the door was locked. The young handmaiden knocked on the door and called out, "Padmé, it's Sabé here. You need to get out of bed, because your coronation is today!"

"I know, Sabé! I'm already finishing my casual dressing," a muffled voice said, and then the door unlocked with a click.

Sabé entered the room to see Padmé dressed in a white silk dress, her dark brown curly hair perfectly contrasting with the stark white. Padmé nodded at Sabé, who nodded back at her to show that she understood the importance of the day. Soon, Padmé would enter the next level of the world of politics. She would handle the full burden of governing and caring for her people as Queen of Naboo. Unfortunately, she would give up any chance of seeing her family for years at a time, and she would see Anakin less often. She frowned at the thought, but her rational side reminded herself that this sacrifice was expected. She had chosen that cost when she had decided to pursue politics, and she would eradicate corruption, crime, and poverty for her people and her family. Eventually, Anakin could decode the comlink data.

"Just focus on the coronation for now, Padmé. Your people need you to be their rock," Sabé reminded the anxious Princess of Naboo.

"Of course, Sabé. Now please help me get the coronation gown ready, and ensure that the rest of my handmaidens are awake," Padmé commanded with a smile at the image of her handmaidens sprawled over their blankets in a daze.

"Yes, Padmé, but they're already awake. I made sure of that," Sabé said, and Padmé squinted at her with suspicion.

"No, I did not use ice water on my fellow handmaidens... yet," the handmaiden continued with a sly grin.

"Good. Just refrain from pranks during my coronation ceremony," the Princess tenderly said to her mischievous, humorous friend, and she led Sabé out the door towards the handmaiden quarters.

About two hours later, after a light breakfast, Padmé stood in the main hall upon a wooden stool, as she was dressed by Sabé and Eirtaé in a wide-shouldered silk robe, and an ornate golden hair piece with a bluish jewel in the middle. At her side, Sio Bibble silently stood in humble respect for the Queen-to-be, as two rows of Royal Guards stood on each of her side with their blasters at the ready. Saché, with a smile, lifted the curled hairpiece from a purple colored and gold-edged pillow. She then held the hairpiece and walked down the ornate red carpet towards her Princess, who was about to become Queen.

With steady hands, Sabé, Eirtaé, and Saché fastened the hairpiece to her head, and whispered to their friend and Queen, "Congratulations, Your Excellency."

Soon, King Veruna appeared flanked by Ellé. He stood in front of Padmé with a smirk unnoticed by the guards. "May the Force be with you," he whispered in a sarcastic tone and a sneer. Padmé felt her blood boil in her cheeks, and felt grateful for the white facepaint covering her angry blush. The man surely had a lot of nerve, especially as the near murderer of her family! With a fluid motion, Veruna transferred his staff into the hands of the new monarch, and walked away as a regular nobleman again.

Sio Bibble slowly walked forward and announced, "I hereby proclaim Princess Amidala as the new Monarch of Naboo, our new Queen."

"And I take the handmaidens Sabé, Eirtaé, Saché, Dormé, the Eccio sisters, and Ellé for my servants," Padmé spoke with a regal tone, and the flame orange robed women formed two lines of four behind her.

"Your people await, Queen Amidala," Sio Bibble said, and the doors of the palace opened.

" _Force bless the Queen! Force bless the Queen_!" a large crowd repeatedly chanted.

The applause of the crowd was deafening, as thousands had flocked to the plaza in front of the palace. Thankfully, her hairpiece had muffled the shouts of the audience to a tolerable level. Two rows of Royal Guards separated the crowds from the steps of the palace entrance, and three new N-2 starfighters flew overhead, each doing a barrel roll in perfect synchronicity. Padmé Amidala, newly coronated queen of Naboo, slowly paced forward and watched the fireworks explode in the air, and another squadron of N-2 starfighters pass by. Then, she noticed familiar Force presences near the front of the crowd: her parents, her sister, Shmi, and Anakin Skywalker. All of them clapped and cheered for her, warming her heart with encouragement. Despite the encouragement, Padmé felt uneasy as this was her first time speaking in front of the _entire_ population of Naboo through live broadcast. From this moment, she would face the burden of governing the lives of over four-hundred million sentient beings.

" _Here goes nothing,_ " the newly crowned Queen thought, as she began to speak at the podium...


End file.
